


in this together, too

by Spikedluv



Series: in this together series [2]
Category: Hit the Floor (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Sequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-18
Updated: 2017-02-24
Packaged: 2018-09-25 08:34:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 32,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9811505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spikedluv/pseuds/Spikedluv
Summary: Jude’s and Zero’s positions with the Devils are secure for the time being.  Now they just need to make sure that Jelena doesn’t have any nasty surprises in store for them while they make plans for their future together.





	1. chapter one

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place immediately following [in this together](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7937425) (which itself took place immediately following 3.10 Possession).
> 
> Written: February 17, 2017

When Jude and Zero reached the main entrance, Marcus was standing just outside the doors, speaking to reporters on the steps. Zero’s stride faltered for a second before he kept going, and Jude wondered if he’d flashbacked to being ambushed there by reporters over the leaked e-mail.

“Who called the reporters?” Jude wondered out loud as his feet slowed.

“Three guesses,” Zero said dryly. “And two don’t count.”

“Jelena,” Jude said disgustedly. “I wonder if she snuck out the back so she didn’t have to deal with them?”

“That doesn’t sound like Jelena,” Zero said. “She’s quicker on her feet than that; she could’ve tried to spin it.”

“She’s still licking her wounds,” Jude said. “Literally _and_ figuratively.”

Just then some of the reporters caught sight of them. Marcus took their cue and looked back over his shoulder. When he spotted Jude and Zero standing there, he raised his hand and beckoned them over. They stepped outside into the noise of reporters clamoring for answers to their shouted questions, and walked over to stand beside Marcus.

“Speaking of new owners,” Marcus said, “let me introduce you to one of them. You all know Jude Kinkade, our current EVP, a former agent for athletes such as Zero here, and Oscar Kinkade’s son. He’s been part of the Devils family for a while, and now it’s official.”

“Jude!” someone yelled. “What’s it feel like to be part owner of the Devils now?”

“It feels . . . amazing,” Jude said honestly. “I’ve always dreamt of being part of the Devils organization, but I never imagined this.”

“Will you remain EVP?” someone else shouted out.

“Yes,” Jude said. “So really, it’s business as usual around here.”

“Thank you, Jude,” Marcus said, and Jude gratefully stepped back next to Zero and ignored the questions still being thrown at him. “I’d like to assure the fans that, while the ship is being steered by a new hand, none of the faces are new. Jude Kinkade and Jelena Howard have been part of the Devils family, and as such, want the same thing the rest of us do, and that is what’s best for the Devils.”

“What about the rumors that Zero was being traded?” another reporter yelled.

“Does that look like the face of a man being traded?” Marcus said, and Zero dutifully smiled and waved at the reporters. “I’m not sure where the rumor came from,” Marcus went on, “but the shareholders, and the fans, are very happy that Zero is a part of the Devils. There are no plans to trade him, now, or in the future.”

Marcus raised his hand and stepped back. “No more questions right now. Thank you all for coming.”

The three of them retreated to the relative quiet of the arena. “That could’ve gone better,” Marcus said.

“Could’ve been worse,” Zero said. When Jude and Marcus both looked at him, he explained, “Could’ve been Jelena out there answering their questions. And announcing my trade.”

Marcus gave a half-shrug that said he couldn’t argue with that as much as he might want to. He turned to Jude. “Maybe we should have our meeting now.”

“Oh, I . . . ,” Jude began, gesturing towards Zero.

“We’ll celebrate later,” Zero said. “You go be awesome and protect our team.”

Jude felt an overwhelming surge of affection for Zero. “I love you,” he said.

Zero looked pleased. “I love you, too. Now go.”

Jude’s stomach growled.

“I’ll check the board room, see if there’s any of those pastries left,” Zero offered.

“Bring the tray,” Marcus said. “And any remaining coffee. We’re going to need it.”

They rode the elevator together to the administrative floor, and separated once the doors opened.

“We need to let the other shareholders know that the cat’s already out of the bag,” Marcus said as he and Jude walked down the hall to what was now his office.

Jude called Lionel so she could tell Oscar, and Marcus called Susan. Jude had just disconnected his call when Zero entered the office. He carried a tray of pastries, and was followed by Alan, who carried a tray holding the coffee carafe, mugs, and fixings. Lionel had wanted to make sure Oscar saw the news, and voiced the happy thought that perhaps seeing Marcus and Jude standing in front of the Arena speaking with the reporters might send him into cardiac arrest.

Jude took the pastry and mug of lukewarm coffee that Zero offered him. “Thank you.”

Marcus disconnected from his call with Susan. “Susan is going to call the other shareholders. Sorry for bollocksing up your celebration.”

“It’s not ruined,” Zero said. “Just postponed. And not your fault in any case.”

Marcus nodded. “Well. Let’s get to work. We need to get ahead of the PR on this.”

“A party,” Zero said. Jude and Marcus gave him their attention. “At the Playground. To introduce the two new shareholders. Forget about the bad blood behind Jelena’s take-over and Oscar’s ouster, and spin the change as a positive rather than a negative. New people, new ideas, a change for the better . . . .”

“He’s handy to have around,” Marcus told Jude.

“I often think so,” Jude said, grinning proudly at Zero.

“I’m not just a pretty face, either,” Zero said.

“Flirt later,” Marcus said. “Party planning now. When should we hold the party?”

“Tomorrow,” Jude said. “We have three away games after tonight’s home game, and tomorrow’s the only off day for the rest of the week. We need to get in front of it, so we can’t afford to wait for a more convenient day. We need to announce the party today, and get the invitations out.”

“You’re right,” Marcus said. “It’s short notice, but we can’t wait, especially since the press already got wind of it.” Marcus spread his hands. “Who do we put in charge of planning the party?”

“Lionel,” Jude and Zero said at the same time.

“Get her back on the phone,” Marcus told Jude. “Who’ll have the list of names we need to invite to have a who’s-who?”

“Alan,” Jude said as he waited for Lionel to answer the call.

Marcus picked up the phone on his desk to call Alan, but Jude tuned out the call when Lionel picked up. “Hey, Lionel,” Jude said. “We need your help to plan a party.”

Jude filled Lionel in on the idea, and disconnected when she agreed to help. “She’s on her way.”

Marcus nodded in acknowledgment. “I can’t believe my first official duty is to throw a party to put out Jelena’s fire.”

“You have _met_ Jelena, right?” Zero said. “And not to put too fine a point on it, you had to know who you were getting into bed with here.”

Marcus gave Zero a look, but didn’t argue. He stood and held out his hand when Alan appeared with the list of names he’d requested. Alan hovered uncertainly while Marcus scanned the list. Marcus shook his head. “Is this the entire list?” he said when he was finished.

“Yes, sir,” Alan said, stammering a little bit as he dragged his gaze away from Zero to respond.

“Alright,” Marcus said. “We’re going to need to edit the list, so I’ll get that back to you in a few. Also, we’ll need to talk to the manager of the Playground now, so give them a call if you would.”

“Yes, sir,” Alan said, this time without stumbling over his tongue. He gave Zero a glance from under his lashes before he turned and headed towards the door.

Jude gestured with his head and gave Zero a ‘seriously?’ look.

Zero shrugged. “I can’t help it that I’m too sexy for my shirt.”

Jude rolled his eyes.

“What did I say about flirting later,” Marcus said absently, his eyes back on the list.

Jude blushed; Zero gave Jude an unrepentant grin.

“Some of the names on this list have ties to the mob,” Marcus said.

Jude wasn’t surprised. Sloane had said that Oscar was building the Hollywood Arena with dirty money.

Marcus got busy with a pen, crossing off names and scribbling in others. “Start calling the other shareholders, ask who they’d like to have added to the list.”

Jude had only tried to call Thomas Heller and George Pullman, but he had all the board members listed in his contacts. Jude pulled up Susan’s information first. She made him uncomfortable – mostly on purpose – but she’d shown a surprising level of support and Jude found that he trusted her.

Jude was just finishing up his last call when Lionel waltzed into the office. Her gaze went to the rug that Jude had already forgotten about, and then she deliberately turned away. Cheryl Paulson, who’d been promoted when Raquel left the Playground to return to the Devil Girls, was already there, and Marcus abandoned the list to fill her in on the party in broad strokes. She’d begun making a list of things they needed, like to call in another liquor order and to schedule servers.

Zero was still standing to the side, arms crossed as he leaned against a credenza and observed. “What are you doing?” Lionel said when she saw him.

“Looking sexy, apparently,” Zero said.

“We don’t need that until the night of the party,” Lionel said, dismissing Zero with a wave of her hand.

“That’s not what Jude says,” Zero said.

Lionel paused in the process of setting down her purse, and turned back to give Zero a withering look. “Don’t you have something to do before the game?”

“You mean besides . . . ?”

“Don’t say it.” Lionel held up her hand. “Please.”

‘Already did him,’ Zero mouthed to Lionel.

Jude glanced at Marcus, praying that he hadn’t seen the exchange. Marcus was going over the revised list, but he said, “If I’d known this position included wrangling pre-schoolers, I might’ve declined.”

Lionel slipped the list out of Marcus’ fingers and glanced at it. “What about Jude’s mother?” she said.

Jude froze, and everyone’s eyes turned to him. He had the irrational urge to strangle Lionel for bringing this up in front of the others. Jude tried to sound nonchalant when he answered, but he wasn’t sure he pulled it off. “This isn’t her kind of thing.”

“Isn’t her kind of thing,” Lionel repeated. “Jude, she’s your mother, of course she’s . . . .”

“She’s really not,” Jude interrupted. “She didn’t want me to get involved with Oscar or the Devils.”

“Smart woman,” Lionel muttered. She picked up a pen off Marcus’ desk and added something to the list before handing it back to Marcus.

Marcus glanced at the list and gave a nearly imperceptible nod, and then set the list down on the desk. “I’ll get Alan to revise the list and get the invites sent out. Lionel and Cheryl will plan the party. You can use the Playground, it should be quiet enough right now for that.”

Marcus waited for Lionel and Cheryl to leave before turning to Jude. “Check in on your regular duties, and then I think we should talk about Jelena’s shooting before that comes back to bite us in the ass, too.” He turned to Zero. “You. Win me a god damned game tonight. We need all the positives we can get.”

Zero gave Marcus a mock salute. “Yes, sir.”

Marcus gave Zero a look, but merely said, “Send Alan in on your way out.”

“Would you like to do the honors?” Jude said dryly when he and Zero both reached Marcus’ door at the same time.

“I’d love to,” Zero said, and then surprised Jude by leaning in and kissing him.

Zero kept his hand on Jude’s back as they exited Marcus’ office and walked down the hall. “Alan, right?” Zero paused when they reached Alan’s desk.

Alan blushed and nodded.

“Marcus needs your help,” Zero said, and then he nudged Jude on their way.

Zero stood behind Jude and placed both hands on his hips while Jude used the keycard to gain access to his office. Jude was flushed with embarrassment and pleasure when he finally got the door unlocked and they could step inside.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Jude said.

“I wanted to,” Zero said. “You think guys don’t look at you like that, too?”

Before Jude could deny it, Zero went on. “Plus, it earned me boyfriend points, right?”

Jude’s breath caught in his throat at the casual way Zero said ‘boyfriend’. Zero gave Jude a knowing look, and Jude cleared his throat so he could speak. “Yeah,” he said. “You earned some boyfriend points.”

“Cool,” Zero said, then made himself comfortable in one of the chairs in Jude’s office. He picked up the same magazine he’d been looking at every other time he’d been in Jude’s office, and opened it.

“Haven’t you finished reading that yet?” Jude said as he rounded his desk.

“Nah,” Zero said. “I’m usually too ansty to read it while I’m waiting for you, so I just flip the pages and stare at the words.”

Jude still couldn’t get over that Zero would admit something like that to him, let Jude see the real man behind the curtain. “It’s going to be boring, just sitting here while I work.”

“You’re never boring,” Zero said immediately.

Jude felt warm all through his chest, and then he noticed Zero looking at him over the top of the magazine. “Asshole,” Jude said softly. “You don’t get boyfriend points for saying things you don’t mean.”

“I meant it,” Zero said. “I always mean the things I say to you.”

Jude’s throat closed up and his eyes burned. He didn’t know why such a simple comment affected him so deeply.

“Hey,” Zero said.

Jude shook his head in lieu of trying to form words, much less a coherent thought.

“Hey,” Zero said again as he rose from the chair. He walked around the desk while Jude tried to compose himself. Jude let himself be pulled out of the chair and into Zero’s arms.

“You did it,” Zero said.

Jude nodded and clutched at Zero’s back. “We won,” Jude said. “Round one, anyway, I don’t understand . . . .”

“You’ve been so focused,” Zero said, “and now it’s over. For now. You’re just coming down from it.”

“Why aren’t you . . . ?”

“Because my boyfriend did all the heavy lifting,” Zero said. “All I did was offer emotional support and blow jobs.”

Jude huffed a laugh. “An important contribution.” He let Zero hold him for a few seconds more before pulling away. “I’ve got to get to work. Thank you for . . . .”

“The emotional support?” Zero said.

“Pulling me back together,” Jude said.

“Any time,” Zero said, and Jude believed him.

Zero went back to the magazine, and Jude got to work with renewed energy. He checked his e-mails, made a mental triage of open files he needed to deal with, and then called each of his department heads to inform them of the new management. (He also made a mental note to suggest to Marcus that they send out the internal memo he’d promised them would be forthcoming.) He got reports from each of them and scheduled face-to-face meetings with all of them for the next day.

“I’ve got to get back to Marcus,” Jude said finally.

Zero dropped the magazine. “I should head to the locker room.”

They met in the middle of the office and Jude let Zero give him another hug. “You’re going to be in LA for a while,” Jude said. “You should consider making friends with some of the other players.”

“I don’t do friends,” Zero said stiffly.

Jude didn’t let Zero pull away. He placed his hand against the side of Zero’s face. “Think of them as allies, if it makes you feel better.”

“You don’t need to _handle_ me, Jude,” Zero said.

“I like to handle you,” Jude said.

Zero looked startled for a second. “Innuendo, Jude? In the middle of a serious conversation? That’s my department.”

“You’ll have to tell me if I’m doing it right,” Jude said lightly.

“No way you could do it wrong, babe,” Zero said.

~*~

Marcus was on the phone when Jude returned, so he stepped back out of the office and went to Alan’s desk. “We’re doing everything backwards here,”Jude said. First the press conference, then the party, _then_ the memo. “But is there a form memo for this sort of thing, announcing new management?”

“I took the liberty of drafting something up,” Alan said, digging out the appropriate folder and handing it to Jude.

“Thank you,” Jude said. He flipped open the folder and skimmed the draft memo. “I’ll go over this with Marcus.”

“We also finalized the list for invitations,” Alan said. “I printed off a sample invitation for Mr. Douglas’ approval.” He handed Jude another folder.

Jude opened this one as well, and perused the invitation. “It looks great,” Jude said. “I’ll run it past Marcus for final approval.”

Alan looked pleased at Jude’s comment, and he gave Jude a slow once over. Alan blushed when he realized that Jude had caught him.

“I’ll get right back to you on this,” Jude said, and then walked back to Marcus’ office. He’d never noticed Alan giving him any kind of looks when Jude had come to this office to see Oscar or Lionel. He wondered if the fact that he was dating Zero made him suddenly look like a catch.

(“It’s the power,” Zero told Jude much later when Jude mentioned it to him. “He can sense the confidence. Competence must be a turn on for him, too,” Zero added, just before he slid down Jude’s body and took him into his mouth.)

Marcus was still on the phone, but he motioned for Jude to come in. While he waited, Jude gave the memo a more careful read. It was interesting to see how something he’d sweated and agonized over could be boiled down to a few well-chosen words.

When Marcus hung up the phone, Jude passed over the memo. “Alan drafted an internal memo. We need to send it out so our own people know what’s going on.”

Marcus reviewed the memo, made a few marks with his pen, then handed it back to Jude. Marcus took the folder with the invitation and took a little longer to peruse both the revised list and the sample invitation. Marcus made a note on the list, then called for Alan, who appeared a moment later, as if he’d been waiting for Marcus’ summons.

“Good job on these,” Marcus said. He gave Alan some instructions, and then sent him off to get both the memo and the invitations revised. When they were alone, Marcus turned his attention to Jude. “Anything I should know about?”

“Nothing concerning, if that’s what you mean,” Jude said. “I’ve set up meetings with my department heads for tomorrow so I can get full reports which will be submitted to you for review.”

Marcus nodded, then sighed. He scribbled a note for himself. “Hopefully the transition is the worst of it.” Marcus dropped the pen and leaned back. “The police don’t have a suspect. Rather, they have too many suspects.”

“Including me and Zero,” Jude said.

“It would not look good if our EVP and newest shareholder is accused of murder,” Marcus said.

“I didn’t do it,” Jude said, as if Marcus needed the assurance. “And neither did Zero.”

“No,” Marcus said. “I don’t believe that either of you had anything to do with it. This feels like a crime of passion to me, and from what I’ve seen, you and Zero would’ve planned things a little better than to have yourselves be found anywhere near the crime scene after the shooting.”

Jude frowned. “Thank you?”

“Trust me, it was a compliment,” Marcus said, then looked over Jude’s shoulder. “Susan.”

“Marcus,” Susan said briskly. “What can I do?”

“I need to concentrate on getting up to speed on the day-to-day aspects of running the team. Would you be willing to lend a hand to Lionel and Cheryl with planning the party?”

“Lionel’s here?” Susan said with an exaggerated casual tone.

“She is,” Marcus said. “They’re in the Playground.”

“Well,” Susan said. “Why don’t I just go see how I can help.”

Susan swept out as swiftly as she’d swept in. She hadn’t even made a comment intended to embarrass Jude. He twisted in the chair to look at the empty doorway, wondering whether he’d just hallucinated the whole thing.

“What just happened?” Jude said, turning back around.

“It’s best we don’t ask,” Marcus said.

“No, but . . . .” It had almost sounded like . . . . Jude shook his head. Maybe Marcus was right.

Just then, Alan knocked on the open door. “Excuse me, Mr. Douglas, but Adam Oberman is here to see Miss Howard.”

“Is he?” Marcus said. “Please send him in, Alan.”

As soon as Alan left, Marcus gave Jude a questioning look.

“Adam Oberman was Jelena’s and Terrence’s contact with the League when they were trying to buy the team in the forced sale,” Jude told Marcus. “I noticed he was at the Playground before the game yesterday.”

“I noticed that, too,” Marcus said. “I didn’t think anything of it at the time. Jelena was probably trying to cement her position with the League.”

Marcus stopped speaking when Alan appeared with Adam Oberman in tow. Adam stepped into the office before he noticed that it wasn’t Jelena sitting behind the desk. Oberman looked surprised to see Marcus, but even more surprised to see Jude.

“Thank you, Alan,” Marcus said. “Please close the doors behind you.”

Alan nodded, then backed out and closed the doors. When the three of them were alone, Marcus gestured towards the chair beside Jude. “Have a seat, Adam. And tell me what business you had with Jelena.”

Oberman, who’d started to sit, paused at that last comment. The smile that had gone tight when he saw Marcus sitting behind the desk slipped completely.

“Where is Jelena?” Oberman said, in a bid for time, or possibly to see how badly he’d miscalculated by supporting Jelena.

“She didn’t tell me where she was going when she left the board meeting,” Marcus said. “Your turn.”

“I . . . just . . . .” Oberman stumbled over his words, then gave up. “Oh, hell,” he said. “I stopped by to congratulate her, but I can see that things didn’t go the way she’d planned.”

“It would seem not,” Marcus said. “I’ve already given a press conference, and we’re having a party to introduce the new shareholders tomorrow night, so it’s not a secret.”

“New shareholder _s_?” Oberman said, emphasizing the plural.

“You already knew that Jelena had managed to obtain additional shares in the Devils,” Marcus said.

“I did,” Oberman admitted, giving up all pretense of not knowing what was going on.

“Jude Kinkade, here, is our other new shareholder.”

Oberman looked surprised. “How’d you get Oscar to give up more shares?”

“I didn’t,” Jude said. He didn’t elaborate, not feeling very generous towards Oberman since he’d been working against him and Lionel while helping Jelena and Terrence with the forced sale.

“The League will get proper notification of the change in ownership,” Marcus said. “In addition to the new shareholders, we have a new CEO and Chairman of the Board.”

“You,” Oberman said. “Congratulations, Marcus.”

“Thank you, Adam,” Marcus said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Is there anything else we can do for you?”

Oberman shook his head. “No.”

“Thank you for stopping by,” Marcus said, a dismissal and a fiction that Oberman had dropped in to see Marcus.

Oberman tilted his head in acknowledgment, and rose to his feet. Marcus must’ve pressed a button to summon Alan, but Jude hadn’t seen him do it.

“Please show Mr. Oberman out,” Marcus told Alan when he pushed the office doors open again.

“Of course,” Alan said to Marcus, and then to Oberman, “Sir?”

Marcus waited until Oberman reached the door to speak again. “Adam.”

Oberman paused, and looked back.

“Should you have any further business with the Devils, I trust you’ll deal with me.”

And now a warning. There was an almost imperceptible hesitation before Oberman plastered on a fake smile and said, “Of course, Marcus.”

~*~

As soon as Adam Oberman had been seen off, Marcus had Alan contact Pete and request a meeting. While they waited for Pete to arrive, Marcus asked Jude about Sloane Hayes.

“As far as I know, she was a good Director,” Jude said. “I really didn’t pay that much attention to the dancers.”

“I wonder why,” Marcus said wryly.

“The only reason Oscar fired her was because she’s the one who got him arrested,” Jude went on, trying to cover his fluster at Marcus’ comment. “And because she was trying to convince the League to sell the team.”

“I can see why Oscar wouldn’t have taken kindly to that,” Marcus said. “Can you call her to come in?”

Marcus made some phone calls of his own while Jude called Sloane. She refused to come in until Jude explained everything that had happened in the meeting that morning. The phone call reminded Jude that he’d wanted to speak to Marcus about Wendell’s embezzling, which Jelena was most likely holding over him.

When Marcus disconnected, Jude brought it up. Marcus looked contemplative. “I suspected it was something like that.”

“You knew he was embezzling?” Jude said.

“No, but Wendell was acting very out of character this morning,” Marcus said.

“Did she not find anything on the rest of you?” Jude said.

Marcus gave Jude a look. “I don’t know,” he said. “If she did, maybe she didn’t think she’d need it because we were all sewed up, so to speak.”

It wasn’t a denial of there being anything to find, but before Jude could question Marcus further, Alan knocked on the door.

Pete didn’t look surprised to see either Marcus or Jude in the office when Alan showed him in. “Marcus,” Pete said. “Jude. I saw the press conference. Congratulations to both of you.”

“Thank you,” Marcus said. “I’ll get right to the point, Pete: you supported Jelena Howard for this position.”

“I supported Jelena when I thought Oscar was the only other choice,” Pete said. “And to be fair, all of you supported her, too.”

Marcus tilted his head in acknowledgment. “Things didn’t go quite the way Miss Howard had planned at the board meeting today.”

Pete snorted. “Since she’s not sitting here right now, I’d say not.”

“I don’t believe that she’s going to accept that defeat lying down,” Marcus went on. “I’d like to know if I’ll have your support should Jelena approach you again.”

Pete took a moment to compose his reply. “Jude and I have our issues, but I don’t think he’s anything like Oscar. You, on the other hand, let a man like Oscar run this team.”

“There was nothing I, or any of the other shareholders, could do while Oscar owned a majority of the shares,” Marcus said. “We, too, sided with Jelena as the lesser evil once the opportunity arose. But then we were given a third option.”

“What was different now?” Pete said. “Isn’t it still basically Oscar or Jelena?”

Marcus glanced at Jude, and Jude spoke up. “I convinced Oscar to make me his proxy.”

“How does that change anything?”

“It took Oscar out of play,” Marcus said. “For the time being, anyway. While we were no longer willing to follow Oscar, and we only reluctantly agreed to follow Jelena, most of us were thrilled to be given a different path.”

“Jude’s path,” Pete said. He indicated the desk Marcus sat behind. “I can see why you were willing to go along with Jude . . . .”

“Not true,” Marcus interrupted before Jude could say anything. “Jude had my support before I knew he had this planned, and Jude apparently had this planned before he knew he had my full support. We were both going on faith. Who do you have faith in, Pete?”

“How long do you think Ahsha would’ve remained a Devil Girl under Jelena?” Jude said.

“Jelena promised not to fire Ahsha if she had our help,” Pete said.

“Did you believe she’d keep her word?” Marcus said.

Pete glanced at Jude and grudgingly admitted, “Sloane didn’t.”

“Jelena wanted this position because she had an agenda. I don’t have an agenda because I didn’t even know this morning that I’d be sitting behind this desk today. Well,” Marcus admitted, “I did have an agenda, and that was to make sure Jude didn’t fall on his face, because I thought he might be angling for this desk.”

“Thanks?” Jude said.

“You’re welcome,” Marcus said, then turned back to Pete. “Believe me, no one wanted Oscar out more than we did. Which is why we also jumped on the first opportunity that crossed our path. Turned out we had another, better, opportunity.”

Pete looked between Marcus and Jude, then said, “Would Ahsha’s position on the team be safe?”

Marcus leaned back in his chair with a regrettable sigh. “Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be up to us. It would be up to the new Director.”

“And who would that be?” Pete said.

“I was told to come straight back,” Sloane said from the open doorway.

“Sloane!” Pete said, rising from his chair.

“Pete, what are you doing here?” Sloane said, returning Pete’s hug and letting him take her hand.

Instead of answering her, Pete turned to Marcus and Jude. “Is this some sort of bribery?” he demanded.

“We think of it as setting things right,” Marcus said. “But it wouldn’t hurt if it gave you the warm fuzzies so you’d throw us your support.”

“What’s he talking about?” Sloane said to Pete.

Marcus rose to his feet. “The Devil Girls are in need of a Director.”

“Oscar fired me,” Sloane said.

“Luckily for all of us,” Marcus said, “Oscar isn’t in charge anymore.”

~*~

Alan returned the moment Pete and Sloane left. He gave Marcus a tablet to review the final draft of the memo and affix his signature.

“Looks good,” Marcus said as he scribbled his signature across the screen, then handed the tablet back to Alan. “Send it.”

“The invitations are printing now,” Alan said. “I’ll contact our usual courier service to have them delivered?”

“Yes,” Marcus said, “do that.”

“I hope there’s an invitation in that pile for me,” Oscar said from the doorway.

Jude’s heart skipped a beat when he heard Oscar’s voice. He gripped the arm of the chair he sat in, then forced his fingers to relax.

Marcus nodded to Alan, who left with only a brief look at Oscar, and then he stood. “Of course there is,” he said to Oscar. Marcus gestured to the vacant chair beside Jude. “Please have a seat, Oscar.”

Oscar settled himself into the chair, rearranged his suit jacket, and leaned back. He watched Marcus lower himself back into the chair that had once been his, eyes glittering with avarice.

“What can I do for you, Oscar?” Marcus said.

“I’m wondering why I had to hear about this new ‘leadership’ on the news,” Oscar said.

“That was unfortunate,” Marcus said, offering sympathy, but not an apology. “I was blind-sided by that press conference. My best guess is that Jelena called it when she thought she’d be announcing her own take-over after the board meeting.”

And Zero’s trade, probably, Jude thought.

“I never thought I’d see you sitting behind that desk,” Oscar observed.

“I never imagined I’d _be_ sitting behind it,” Marcus said.

“And yet here we are,” Oscar said. When Marcus didn’t respond, Oscar turned to Jude, acknowledging his presence for the first time since he’d walked in the office. “So, when the dust settled, you ended up on top.”

“I’m still EVP,” Jude said, “if that’s what you mean.”

“And apparently a new owner,” Oscar said. “You wouldn’t have happened to misrepresent that fact, would you?”

“No!” Jude said. “I wouldn’t lie about something like that.” Not least because it could so easily be discovered, and Jude liked to think he wasn’t that stupid.

“How did that happen?” Oscar said.

“George Pullman is selling his shares,” Jude said.

“To you,” Oscar said, as if it were impossible for him to believe that anyone would sell their shares to Jude.

Thoughts whirled through Jude’s head; he wanted to tell Oscar that not everyone thought he was a loser, not worth acknowledging as a son, but he bit all that back and merely said, “Yes, Oscar, to me.”

“How did you pull this off?” Oscar said.

His surprise stung, but also filled Jude with satisfaction, and even a little pride, that he’d pulled it off, that he’d done something Oscar had never expected him to. In part because Oscar hadn’t expected much of him, had underestimated him.

“Jude offered an alternative to Jelena,” Marcus said.

“When you told me that Marcus would follow you,” Oscar said.

Jude flushed and couldn’t bring himself to look at Marcus.

“I didn’t realize it was because you’d offered him my position.”

“I didn’t,” Jude said.

Oscar ignored him, and went on. “But what did you offer George? He’s always shown a propensity for women in the past, but . . . .”

“That’s enough, Oscar,” Marcus said, somehow managing to sound angry without raising his voice.

The blood had drained from Jude’s face. He’d thought that Oscar couldn’t hurt him anymore, but he’d been wrong. Jude pulled himself up straight. “You know what, Oscar, I did give George something. A promise. To be a better man than you are. Not that it would take much, but that’s what I’m going to do.”

“Jude,” Marcus said gently. “Why don’t you go check on the arrangements for tomorrow night.”

Jude pulled his attention away from Oscar, and tried to control his breathing. He nodded to Marcus, part acknowledgment, part thanks, and then he stood.

“That’s what’s wrong with Jude,” Oscar said before Jude had departed. “Everyone coddles him.”

“Is that what you were doing,” Marcus said, “when you signed the Appointment of Proxy?”

Jude didn’t hear any more. He knew he’d passed people on his way to the elevator, but he couldn’t remember who, much less whether they’d spoken to him, or if he’d responded. The elevator doors opened outside the Playground and Jude disembarked on autopilot. Once he stood in the foyer, he couldn’t bring himself to enter the club.

Jude paced away from the doors. He put his back to the wall and scrubbed his hands over his face, then tipped his head back and closed his eyes. Jude heard the ding of the elevator doors opening again, and he quickly stepped away from the wall so no one saw him looking as pathetic as he felt. He pulled out his phone and pretended to be checking his messages, but he heaved a sigh, as much resignation as relief, when Zero stepped off.

Jude slipped the phone back into his pocket, shoved his hands into the front pockets of his slacks, and leaned back against the wall again. He lowered his head and stared at the floor, then looked at Zero through his lashes when he drew closer. “Who called you, Marcus?”

Zero looked worried. “What happened?”

Jude didn’t speak until Zero stood next to him, his back against the wall, his shoulder pressed to Jude’s. “Oscar happened. He’s in Marcus’ office right now.”

“What did he do?”

Jude huffed a self-deprecating laugh. “He implied that I performed sexual favors for George Pullman in order to get him to sell me his shares.”

Zero laughed, and then broke off when he saw Jude’s expression. “Wait, really? Was he serious?”

Jude shrugged. “Who knows. He could’ve been fishing, or just trying to get a reaction out of me. If so, it worked.”

“Ignore him,” Zero said.

“I can’t ignore him. I made him think I had evidence that could put him back behind bars and get the Devils sold. He won’t stop coming after me, trying to get the team back.”

“I’m not suggesting that you stop watching your back,” Zero said. “Just that you let him go, don’t give him the power to keep hurting you.”

“I have let him go,” Jude said. “Mostly. It’s hard. I used to tell myself that my mom was wrong, that Oscar loved me, that I’d meet him and he’d look at me, and we’d just have this . . . connection, you know? And then . . . .” Jude shook his head. “I thought if I could prove myself to him, earn his respect, I’d earn his love.”

“You don’t earn love,” Zero said.

“I tried so hard,” Jude said. “I did things . . . . It wasn’t enough. Nothing would ever have been enough, because Oscar had already made up his mind about me. I was so stupid.”

“You weren’t stupid,” Zero said. “You’re a son who wanted his dad to love him, that’s natural.”

“Do you ever wonder,” Jude said, “what happened to your parents?”

Zero had been caught off-guard by the question, and Jude saw that his first instinct was to make light of it, hide behind a joke, but then it passed, and he said, “Not anymore.”

Jude nodded his acceptance of the answer, his acknowledgment that Zero had been honest with him. “Oscar said, when I blackmailed him into signing the proxy form, that maybe I was more like him than he’d thought.”

“You are nothing like Oscar,” Zero said vehemently. “You did what you did for me, and for Lionel, and for the Devils. Oscar has never done anything for anyone other than himself his entire life.”

Jude smiled.

“What?” Zero said, still irritated on Jude’s behalf.

“I’ve never had anyone like you in my corner before,” Jude said.

Zero shrugged. “Yeah, well, ditto.”

Jude laughed, and Zero’s stern expression finally broke and he smiled, too.

“It goes both ways, you know,” Zero said.

“I know,” Jude said softly.

Jude turned so he could kiss Zero, and Zero turned into the kiss, too. Jude was feeling much better by the time Lionel came out and interrupted them.

“Okay, enough canoodling,” Lionel said. “Chop, chop! We don’t have much time to finish planning your big coming out party.”

“It’s not . . . ,” Jude began, but Lionel was grinning at her own joke.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it,” Zero said.

Jude panicked when he realized he’d be left alone with Lionel and Susan if Zero left. “Where are you going?”

“Back to the locker room,” Zero said. He leaned in conspiratorially and said, “Dad told me to make friends at school today.” Zero gave Jude a look that said ‘call me if you need me,’ but he gave Jude’s ass a squeeze and planted a kiss on his lips before saying, “See you later, boss,” and heading back towards the elevator.

Jude wanted to protest, maybe dig in his heels, when Lionel grabbed his arm and dragged him into the Playground, but he he’d already made a fool of himself once today.

~*~

It turned out that Lionel, Susan, and Cheryl did not need Jude’s help with the party because the three of them had things well under control, from drinks and catering to music and decorations. In fact, they’d just finished scheduling the necessary extra staff and were sitting at the bar. Lionel didn’t let go of Jude’s hand until he was seated on a stool between herself and Susan, a cold beer in his hand.

“I have to go back to work,” Jude said, even as he raised the bottle and took a sip.

“Oscar’s an ass,” Lionel said.

“I’ll drink to that,” Susan said.

The two ladies clinked their glasses together and took a drink.

“Don’t leave me out,” Cheryl said, and so Susan and Lionel clinked their glasses with hers and took another drink when she did.

Jude buried his face in his arm. “How did you hear?”

“There’s an early warning system in place,” Cheryl said. “Whenever Oscar shows up at the Arena, the word goes out.”

Jude raised his head. “Really?”

Cheryl nodded.

“But . . . .”

“We didn’t hear anything,” Lionel said. “Oscar shows up at the Arena, you show up here upset . . . . It doesn’t take a genius.”

“Not that we aren’t,” Susan clarified. “It just wouldn’t.”

“Right,” Jude said. “How much have you ladies had to drink?”

“Not nearly enough,” Lionel said.

Both Susan and Cheryl agreed, and the three of them clinked glasses again and took another drink.

Jude escaped to his office while the three ladies were debating the merits of mixing a Raspberry Margarita over a White Russian. Talking about a party in his honor, and Oscar, and Zero’s parents, had gotten him thinking about his own mom. It had only been a week since they’d last spoken, but a lot had happened in that week.

She’d be excited about the house Zero had bought for them, Jude knew. Less so about Jude now owning a part of the Devils. And even less if Jude told her that he’d sunk to Oscar’s level to get his Proxy. The one thing she’d said when Jude wouldn’t be talked out of trying to have a relationship with Oscar was, “Don’t let him change you.”

Jude had changed. It had been inevitable. But he hoped he hadn’t changed too much. Enough to be unrecognizable to his mother.

Jude took out his cell and opened his contacts. He stared at his mother’s information for a few seconds before touching the call button.

“Jude!” Maria Rose Kinkade Smythe said when she answered the call.

Jude smiled, his spirit lightening at the sound of her voice, and her undisguised happiness to hear from him. “Hey, mom.”

~*~

Jude felt more balanced after the call with his mother, despite the fact that the news he’d shared had been happy and disappointing in equal measure. Jude went back to Marcus’ office, figuring Oscar had to be gone by then. He nodded at Alan as he passed his desk, then knocked on Marcus’ open door before entering. Jude couldn’t help glancing around just to make sure Marcus was the only person inside.

“Thank you,” Jude said. “For getting me out of here. And for calling Zero.”

“You’re welcome,” Marcus said. “But I didn’t call Zero. Didn’t even think of it, to be honest, and I wouldn’t have done so in front of Oscar.”

“Oh,” Jude said, brain whirling. He shook his head. “Well, the party has been planned down to the finest detail,” Jude assured Marcus.

“I had no doubt it would be,” Marcus said. “The memo has been sent out, and the invitations are in the couriers’ hands. They should all be delivered today. Alan is taking care of in-house delivery, so stop by his desk to pick up yours and Zero’s.”

“I will,” Jude said. “If you don’t need me for anything else . . . .”

“I think we’ve stemmed the bleeding from Jelena’s little stunt,” Marcus said. “For now. I’ll let you get back to work.”

Jude nodded and stood.

“I’ll see you at the Playground before the game,” Marcus said.

Jude paused. He’d forgotten about that new tradition. “Yes,” Jude said, and resisted the urge to pinch himself. He’d gone from a junior agent, and then Zero’s agent, to EVP, and now part-owner of the Devils, and it still hadn’t quite sunk in. “I’ll see you there.”

Jude stopped at Alan’s desk and asked him about the invitations. Alan looked relieved as he dug out Jude’s and Zero’s invitations, which had been clipped together. Jude thanked him and started to walk away, not missing the soft sigh of relief. It made Jude pause. He turned back and studied Alan, who was looking at Jude now like a deer in the headlights. “You called Zero,” Jude said.

Alan opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

“Thank you,” Jude said.

Alan couldn’t have looked more surprised if Jude had slapped him. “Oh,” Alan said, letting out a deep breath. “You’re welcome.”

~*~

Jude went by the locker room before returning to his office. When Zero saw him, he handed off the game controller and came over.

“I’ve got our invitations,” Jude said.

Zero took them out of Jude’s hand and glanced at them. He read out loud, “Join us in welcoming two new owners to the Devils family.”

Jude ducked his head to hide the flush.

“I hope we don’t have to give these up at the door,” Zero said. “I think I’ll get ‘em framed.”

Instead of addressing Zero’s sentimentality, Jude said, “I called my mom.”

Zero gave Jude a knowing look at the obvious change of subject, but merely said, “And how is Mama Kinkade?”

Jude snorted. “She’d kill you if she heard you call her that.”

“I do it just to get a rise out of you,” Zero admitted. “Did you tell her about this?” He gestured with the invitations.

“Yeah. She wasn’t thrilled about that. But she is excited about the house.”

“You told her about the house?” Zero said.

“Of course. She asked if there was a big yard.”

“What is it about you Kinkades and babies?” Zero said, but he sounded fond of at least one Kinkade when he said it.

“She wants before and after pictures,” Jude said.

Zero winced. “There’s still a sledgehammer in the wall.”

“I like the aesthetic,” Jude said.

Zero gave Jude a besotted smile, and then handed back the invitations when Curtis called his name. “I’ve got to go defend my honor,” Zero said. He unselfconsciously leaned in and gave Jude a kiss.

The cat-calls started before Jude had even left the locker room. “Shut up, Curtis,” Zero said with good humor. “You’re just jealous ‘cause my girlfriend’s prettier than yours.”

“Oooh!” someone else said. “I wonder who’d be more insulted by that, Natalie ‘cause you implied she ain’t pretty, or Jude ‘cause you implied he’s a girl.”

“I didn’t say that Natalie wasn’t pretty,” Zero explained as if he was talking to a dolt. “Only that Jude’s prettier.”

Jude returned to his office with a lighter step and a smile on his face.


	2. chapter two

Jude managed to get quite a bit of work done before Lionel showed up to escort him to the Playground.

“I don’t need a babysitter,” Jude said, even as he locked up his laptop and then rolled down his shirt cuffs.

“We just wanted to make sure that you weren’t going to hide down here because of Oscar,” Lionel said.

“We?” Jude said suspiciously, reaching for the suit jacket he’d carefully folded over the back of a chair. (The one Zero had lodged under the door handle, Jude’s brain helpfully supplied.)

“Susan wanted to come, but we flipped a coin and I won.” Lionel leaned in close and spoke in a loud whisper. “I cheated. Also, I think she’s hitting on me.”

“Who?” Jude said. Lionel gave Jude a look and he rewound their conversation. “Susan?”

Lionel touched the side of her nose, and then pointed at Jude.

“Have you two been at the Playground all afternoon?” Jude said, offering his arm.

“I don’t need a babysitter, either, Jude,” Lionel said.

“How about a friend?” Jude said quietly as they made their way to the elevator.

Lionel squeezed the arm beneath her hand. “Always.”

~*~

Aside from Jelena’s icy glares, this evening at the Playground was much less stressful than the night before. With the board meeting over, and everything decided (for the moment), Jude was no longer on pins and needles about whether he could pull off his plan.

Instead of huddling with Lionel, Jude was surrounded by people who wanted to congratulate him, buy him a drink, invite him and Zero, the new ‘it’ couple, to their next soiree. It was surreal, and Jude was glad when Benjamin Harris rescued him.

“Thank you,” Jude said. “I’m not used to people paying this much attention to me.”

“Get used to it,” Benjamin said. “There’s a lot more where these came from.”

Jude was surrounded by the rest of the owners when they left the Playground. Jude made a point of looking for Lionel, but she appeared to be in good hands. Company, Jude had meant to think, good company. Now that Lionel had mentioned it, Jude couldn’t help but notice the way Susan looked at her. He flushed and looked away when Susan felt his gaze on her and gave him a wink.

The moment they stepped onto the floor, Jude sought out Zero. Zero was in line for warm-up drills, talking to his nearest teammate (who happened to be Curtis from that afternoon in the locker room), but something made him glance Jude’s way. Zero began to look away, then did a double take when Jude’s presence among the other owners registered.

Jude flushed under the weight of Zero’s hunger. He once would have ducked his head, tried to hide the pleasure he felt at being the focus of the heat that blazed from Zero’s eyes. Jude held Zero’s gaze, and pushed his shoulders back, and didn’t stumble when Zero gave him a knowing smirk that made arousal flare low in his belly.

Jude broke eye contact because he felt like he’d made his point (and also because he was having trouble breathing). He grinned to himself when Curtis said something that made Zero reach out to smack the back of his hand against Curtis’ chest without taking his eyes off Jude.

Jude stopped beside Pete while the others spread out to take their seats or hobnob with other VIP attendees. He didn’t say anything, just stood nearly shoulder-to-shoulder with him and watched the team warm up.

Finally Jude said, “I wanted to thank you for putting in a good word for Zero with the owners.”

“I’m glad it helped,” Pete said. “What I want to know is how you managed to get a seat on the board.”

Jude hesitated, not knowing how much to reveal. “Did Sloane tell you we met?”

“Yes,” Pete said, the word taking on a suspicious tone.

“She was kind enough to give me some information,” Jude said.

“That you used to blackmail Oscar,” Pete guessed.

“Blackmail is such an ugly word,” Jude said. “I like to think that Oscar was reasonable enough to see the benefit in giving up his seat during this tumultuous time.”

“And Jelena?”

“Sadly didn’t have the backing she thought she did to become CEO,” Jude said.

Pete huffed a laugh. “I honestly never thought you had it in you, Jude.”

“Thanks,” Jude said wryly. “Oscar and Jelena have been taken out of play for now, but they’re still in the game.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t take that vacant seat for yourself,” Pete said.

Jude gave a self-deprecating huff. “I don’t have the experience, nor would I have had the votes. Besides, I never wanted to run the Devils,” he said. “I just always wanted to be a part of it.”

Pete looked lost for words for a second, and then he said, “Marcus was a good choice.”

Jude smiled and nodded. As conciliatory gestures went, it was a small one, but it meant more to Jude than he’d thought it could. “He’ll do a good job.”

Jude hesitated, then said, “Listen, I’m sorry for the things I said about Sloane . . . before. I didn’t mean them, I just . . . needed to get a rise out of you.” Jude huffed another laugh. “Something else I did in pursuit of Oscar’s approval that I’m not proud of.”

Pete gave Jude a questioning look.

“Lionel wanted you and Raquel broken up, and Oscar wanted Lionel at the games, so . . . .”

“So you were doing Lionel’s dirty work to please Oscar,” Pete finished.

“Yeah,” Jude said.

“I’m not sure I can forget what you did,” Pete said, “but I accept your apology.”

“Thank you,” Jude said. “I hope we’ll be able to work together. For the Devils.”

Pete gave Jude a long look that he refused to squirm under, and then extended his hand and said, “For the Devils.”

Jude gratefully shook Pete’s hand. They were interrupted when Zero jugged over. He had a look on his face that made Jude slightly nervous.

“Coach D,” Zero said.

“Zero,” Pete said dryly.

“It’s gonna be a good game tonight.”

“I hope so,” Pete said.

Zero let his gaze fall on Jude. “Boss.”

Jude went hot under his suit and didn’t even have time to pull his hands out of his pockets before Zero leaned in to give him a kiss. Zero winked, and then jogged back out to where Curtis was waiting to rib him.

“He’s cocky,” Pete said.

“Yes,” Jude agreed, but he couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his face.

Pete caught it, and shook his head. “Go sit down,” he said, “and stop distracting my players.”

~*~

After the game, another win for the Devils, Zero was surrounded by reporters before he could make it to Jude’s side. He gave Jude a look across the court, and then went into public!Zero mode, as Jude now thought of it, and answered their questions.

Lionel stepped up to Jude’s side while he stood watching Zero. “You two are disgustingly sappy.”

Jude grinned. “Did I tell you he bought me a house?”

“You might’ve mentioned it once or twice,” Lionel said wryly. “Are you going to the Playground for the after-party?”

“Yeah,” Jude said distractedly. “Zero’s gonna meet me there. You?”

“I don’t need another drink,” Lionel said. “But I’ll probably have one anyway. And Susan offered to buy me dinner.”

That comment drew Jude’s gaze away from Zero. He gave Lionel a look. She shrugged.

“What can I say, power’s an aphrodisiac.”

“Please tell me you didn’t feel that way about Oscar,” Jude said.

“Euww,” Lionel said. “Now I need a drink to wash away that image, thank you very much.”

“Just checking,” Jude said.

“Hello, Jude, dear,” Susan said, slipping up beside Lionel. “Are you going to join us at the Playground?”

“Yes,” Jude said. “I’ll just be a minute.”

Susan glanced at the floor where Zero was speaking earnestly with a reporter, and then gave Jude a knowing look. “I’d have thought he lasted longer than that.”

Jude’s skin went hot, and Lionel chuckled at his discomfort. Just then Zero glanced over and gave Jude a look he couldn’t decipher before waving him over.

“I’ll see you later,” Jude said absently to Lionel and Susan, and then he threaded his way though the players and reporters and owners and various VIPs to where Zero stood, a stiff set to his shoulders that hadn’t been there before.

“Hey,” Jude said, making it a question.

“Hey,” Zero said. “Are you up for a joint interview?”

“Oh!” Jude tried to read Zero’s expression, but couldn’t tell how bad of an idea he thought this was.

Zero slipped his arm around Jude’s back. He leaned in to press a kiss against his temple. “You don’t have to.”

“No, I . . . I don’t mind, if I’m not intruding.”

“You could never be an intrusion,” Zero said with enough force and a squeezed of his arm that Jude knew it wasn’t just for the reporter’s benefit.

“Okay, then, sure.”

“Wonderful!” the reporter said, almost giddily. She turned so she was looking straight at her cameraman. “Are we ready to roll?”

The cameraman gave her a signal, and the reporter smiled into the camera. “We’re now joined by Jude Kinkade.” She turned to Jude. “Jude, is it true that you’re a part owner of the Devils now?”

“It is true,” Jude said. “As soon as the paperwork goes through.”

“You went from being a sports agent, to EVP, to part owner. How does it feel?”

“Surreal,” Jude said. “I’d always dreamed of being part of the Devils. Sometimes it still feels like a dream.”

“What about between the two of you, is it going to cause any friction?”

“Jude’s already been my boss for months,” Zero said. He smirked into the camera. “I think it’s hot.”

“Oh my god,” Jude said. “He likes to embarrass me. But the answer to your question is no. Without Zero, nothing else means anything.”

“Do the two of you have any plans for the future?”

Jude thought about the house Zero had bought in both their names, the key he carried in his pocket that might as well have been for Zero’s heart as for his childhood home.

“Yes,” Zero said. “We hope to have a long and happy one together.”

Jude huffed a laugh and smiled at Zero, who smiled back.

“Now that Terrence Wall and Jelena Howard have split, people are calling you two the new power couple of the Devils. How would you respond to that?”

“I don’t care about that,” Zero said. “I’m just glad I get to go home with Jude every night.”

Jude stared at Zero as if he couldn’t believe what he’d heard, because every word he’d just spoken was true. He wasn’t just saying what he thought the public wanted to hear. “Sap,” Jude said, his voice thick with emotion.

“Pot, kettle,” Zero said.

The clip of Jude laughing before he kissed Zero led the sports and gossip reports for the next day.

~*~

Jude was up early the next morning.

“I thought this would end when the board meeting was over,” Zero said.

“So did I,” Jude said without stopping his pacing. He’d woken up that morning realizing that, instead of being the end, the board meeting had just been the beginning. Zero caught him the next time he passed the hallway entrance.

“What you need is to work off the nervous energy you’re building up.”

Jude shook his head. He really didn’t think sex, even sex with Zero, was going to cut it. He voiced that thought, and Zero scoffed.

“It’s always sex with you,” Zero said, which made Jude sputter. “Luckily, that’s not that I meant.”

Which is how Jude found himself jogging to the park with Zero, then running sprints (Zero won, no surprise there), and then stopping for a coffee before doing a cool-down walk back to Jude’s apartment.

“I was thinking,” Zero said as they strolled, one hand holding their coffees, the other linked together between them. His tone was casual – ultra casual – which is how Jude knew he was going to say something important.

“About what?” Jude said without making a joke about Zero thinking.

“We’ve got a house that we’re gonna fix up and live in. Together. And I’m sorta living here now.” He gestured with his coffee. “I mean, I’m here all the time. It seems silly for us to keep two places.” Zero swallowed hard, and then looked at Jude, who figured he must be smiling like a loon. Zero gave Jude a smile in return.

“You want to live together,” Jude said, delighted.

Zero shrugged, like it was no big deal. “We already do, technically.”

“You want to make it official,” Jude said.

“Don’t make a thing out of it,” Zero said, but he was grinning, and he gave Jude’s hand a squeeze.

Back at his apartment, Jude joined Zero in the shower and showed him how much he liked the idea. “I wanna make a thing out of it,” he said before Zero dragged him in for a kiss that steamed up the bathroom.

~*~

Everything still felt surreal, but that morning at the Arena Jude got back into the groove. He reviewed files that landed on his desk, then met with his department heads to go over figures and receive status reports. Zero dropped by with lunch after practice. He gave the files stacked on Jude’s desk a meaningful look before saying, “I figured you’d be too busy to remember.”

Jude had been, but it felt good to be able to think about something other than stopping Zero’s trade and blocking Jelena’s take-over of the Devils. Jude walked around the desk to meet Zero and give him a thank you kiss.

Food had been the last thing on Jude’s mind, but the moment Zero opened the bag and the scent of homemade beef soup and fresh baked rolls wafted out, his stomach growled. Zero gave Jude a look, and Jude laughed. “Yeah, okay, you were right.”

“I always am,” Zero said as he found a clear corner of Jude’s desk to unload their food onto.

Jude made more room, and then sat down. “I was thinking about what you said this morning.”

Zero gave Jude a look as he handed over one of the styrofoam containers of soup. “That I love the way you moan when I suck your cock?”

Jude blushed, but somehow managed to not fumble the handoff of the soup. “No. Asshole.”

Zero grinned and sat next to Jude with his own soup.

“I was weighing the pros and cons of my apartment versus your condo,” Jude said before trying the soup, which tasted just as delicious as it smelled.

“Of course you were,” Zero said fondly. “So what did you decide?”

“I didn’t _decide_ anything,” Jude said. “I wouldn’t do that without you.”

“Okay,” Zero said, breaking off a hunk of buttered roll. “Lay it out for me.”

Jude glanced at Zero to gauge whether he was being made fun of (probably, though Zero didn’t let it show on his face). “Okay,” Jude said, leaning forward. “I love my apartment, I love the location, but your condo is already paid for, and it’s silly to keep paying rent on my place when wherever we end up right now is only going to be temporary.” A flush rose to Jude’s skin when he said, “Until we move into our house.”

“Our house,” Zero repeated. “I like the sound of that.”

“Me, too,” Jude said. “Besides,” he went on, “your place has more room, and you’ve got a bigger tub.”

Zero smirked. “And a bigger shower.”

“And a bigger shower,” Jude agreed.

“So did we just make a decision?” Zero said.

“I think we did.”

“Cool,” Zero said.

~*~

Jude met with Marcus to go over the reports he’d received from his department heads that morning. Jude mentioned some of the proposals that were on the drawing board to bring in more revenue and improve the public image of the Devils. Marcus was interested in hearing all the ideas they had, so they scheduled a meeting with all of the department heads which would be a sort of round table.

On the way back to his office, Jude detoured past the Playground to see how things were going up there. To Jude it looked like chaos, but Lionel assured him that everything was under control. When she left Jude in the middle of speaking to go yell at someone about the bunting, Jude made his escape.

Jude had gotten some more work done before the alarm on his phone went off to remind him that he had to go home to get ready for that evening’s party. The only reason Jude managed to get ready quickly was because Zero had gotten ready at his own place. Jude was smoothing an unruly strand of hair and running a critical eye over the knot at his throat when Zero arrived.

Zero ran an appreciative eye over Jude and gave him a kiss. “You look good enough to eat.”

A pleased flush warmed Jude’s skin. “You, too.” Zero had on a pair of charcoal slacks with a deep plum dress shirt unbuttoned at the throat. Zero wasn’t going to be paraded in front of everyone, so he could get away without wearing a tie. Which reminded Jude. “Does my tie look straight?”

“It’s the only thing straight about you,” Zero said, startling a laugh out of Jude. “Come on,” Zero said. “Let’s get going before the driver gets antsy and leaves us.”

“Driver?” Jude said as he followed Zero through the apartment, grabbing wallet and keys as he went.

“Yeah. Lionel sent a limo. Didn’t she tell you?”

“No,” Jude said. “Why do we need a limo?”

“Because Lionel turned this little affair into a red carpet event, and you’re a guest of honor,” Zero said.

“Oh god,” Jude said. Red carpet meant reporters and cameras.

“Don’t worry,” Zero said while he waited for Jude to make sure the door was locked. Zero slipped his hand to Jude’s lower back as they started down the sidewalk. “I’ll take your mind off it.”

The driver opened the door for them, and Jude slid into the backseat, followed by Zero. Once they were settled, Zero did an exaggerated ‘yawn and stretch’ that made Jude give a nervous giggle. As soon as the limo was in motion, Zero turned towards Jude. He cupped Jude’s face with his free hand and tilted Jude’s head until their lips could slot together in a perfect fit.

Jude couldn’t believe that Zero was keeping his hands above the waist, and when they parted just long enough to catch their breath, Jude voiced the thought.

“I want to distract you,” Zero said, “not embarrass you.” Zero lowered his hand just enough to give Jude the impression that it might settle in his lap. “I’ll save that for the ride home.”

Jude huffed a laugh. “I’m sorry I mentioned it.”

“Are you?” Zero said, and then his voice went deep. “Are you really, Jude?”

Zero didn’t give Jude a chance to answer, which was a good thing because Jude wasn’t sure he could. Zero pushed his hand into Jude’s hair, and deepened the kiss. Jude thought he might’ve bit Zero, but Zero merely moaned in response. To keep his own hands from wandering, Jude cupped the back of Zero’s head and grabbed the long strands of hair.

Jude was glad the windows were dark, because Zero didn’t release Jude’s mouth until the limo finally inched its way forward and came to a complete stop.

“We’re there,” the driver said over the intercom just before someone opened the door to allow them to exit.

“What?” Jude said as Zero pulled away from him.

Zero gave Jude a once over, and then smirked. “Forget where we were going?” Zero ran fingers through his hair and it fell messily, as if he’d intended it to look like someone (Jude) had been pulling on it. Zero winked at Jude and then slid across the seat and stepped out of the limo.

(In later replays of the moment, Jude saw the red, swollen lips and the self-satisfied smile that didn’t even attempt to hide what Zero had just been doing inside the limo.)

Now, though, Jude thought, shit! He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and tried to finger-comb his hair back into a semblance of order, but he looked rumpled (sexily mussed, Zero later said) when he stepped onto the red carpet next to Zero.

The red carpet was long, but Jude barely remembered a moment of it. There were no embarrassing sound bites later, so he must not have made any faux pas. The entire walk from the limo to the main entrance was a blur of Zero’s hand on his back, bright lights, and the phantom sensation of Zero’s lips on his own.

The relative quite inside the Arena was a relief. Jude could hear himself think, though that was a mixed blessing because he couldn’t stop wondering what kind of picture they’d presented when they’d stepped out of the limo. Some of the other guests greeted Jude and Zero, and they rode up in the elevator together.

Lionel saw Jude and Zero enter, and made a beeline for them. Zero ducked away to get them each a beer, and left Jude to face Lionel alone.

“Jude,” Lionel said, sounding relieved. “You’re finally here.”

Jude didn’t think they were late, but he knew better than to say so. Instead he said, “This place looks great.”

Lionel glanced around with a pleased expression. “Thank you.” She turned back to Jude with an intent look. “How did you enjoy walking your second red carpet?”

Jude hadn’t found out that Chase Vincent had been released from jail in the middle of this one, which made it better than the first, and he barely remembered this one, except for the warmth of Zero at his side, and the sound of his voice when he spoke with the reporters. “It was fine,” Jude said.

“Fine?” Lionel said, and then she studied Jude. “There’s a story there.”

“There’s no story,” Jude said, wishing that Zero would hurry up and return with the beer.

Lionel didn’t look convinced. “I’ll get it out of you later,” she said when Zero did return.

Jude was glad for the reprieve, no matter how short-lived it might turn out to be.

“You missed my entrance,” Lionel went on, changing the subject easily.

“Did you knee Oscar in the balls again?” Zero said as he passed one of the bottles to Jude.

Lionel gave Jude a look.

“You told Susan!” Jude said.

Zero tapped the mouth of his bottle to Lionel’s flute of champagne. “Gold star,” he said.

“Yes, well,” Lionel said, looking pleased and a little bit emotional at Zero’s simple comment. “I didn’t arrive with Oscar.”

“Who did you arrive with?” Jude said, taking his cue.

“Me,” Susan said, appearing suddenly to stand by Lionel’s side. Lionel raised her flute and Susan tapped hers against it. “The paps are going to be talking about it for days.”

Lionel looked very pleased.

“What did you do?” Jude said, curious despite himself.

“Nothing,” Lionel said, and beside her Susan laughed.

“We assured them that we were ‘just friends’,” Susan said. “It drove them nuts. They’re all trying to figure out if we’re sleeping together now.”

“Are you?” Zero said.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Susan said.

“No,” Jude said, but no one paid him any attention.

Susan gave Zero a wink before drawing Lionel away. Lionel waved her hand at them and mouthed, ‘Mingle!’

Jude and Zero mingled, though they both did their best to steer clear of certain people. Marcus introduced them to his wife. Benjamin introduced them to a famous Hollywood producer who was already drunk enough to tell spill the beans about a trio who were reuniting for a sequel of a famous movie if they could get the terms hammered out and everyone’s schedules to agree. Jude encouraged Zero to ‘formally’ introduce him to some of the players so that he could know them on a more personal level.

They were occasionally separated, like when Lionel dragged Jude away from Zero’s side to introduce him to a charity director she’d worked with who said she’d be thrilled to be given the opportunity to work with the Devils. Jude took her card and filed her name away. Someone else stopped by to be introduced to Lionel, and Jude drifted away.

Jude looked around for Zero, and found him leaning against the bar, talking with Curtis and a woman who must be his girlfriend Natalie. Zero straightened when he saw Jude threading his way through the crowd towards them. When Jude was close enough, Zero offered his beer to him.

“Do I look that bad?” Jude said, only half joking. “Never mind,” he said, taking the beer. “I don’t want to know.”

Jude let Zero slip an arm around him and formally introduce him to Curtis and Natalie. They continued their conversation, easily including Jude. Jude was glad he was leaning against Zero when a murmur went through the crowd. He glanced up to see what had caused the stir, and saw Oscar standing in the doorway looking as if he hadn’t been booted out of the CEO’s chair.

Jude went stiff. Zero glanced at Jude, then followed the direction of his gaze. His arm tightened around Jude. Jude didn’t move – in part because he couldn’t, and in part because he didn’t want to draw Oscar’s attention to him. When he realized what he was doing, Jude pushed his shoulders back and straightened so he stood at his full height beside Zero. Zero’s hand on his back gave Jude the strength to meet Oscar’s gaze when he surveyed the Playground as if it was still his kingdom.

Oscar’s gaze didn’t remain on Jude for very long, but it felt like forever. Jude’s knees trembled, but he refused to let Oscar see that he still had the power to get to him. He released the white-knuckled grip he had on his beer bottle when Zero reached up to take it out of his hand.

“He just had a couple of chunks taken out of him, and he still has the ability to make people wet their pants just by looking at them,” Curtis observed.

It took Jude a few seconds to realize that Curtis was talking about himself, as much as everyone else in the room, and not just about Jude.

“Didn’t he have that woman killed?” Natalie said.

Curtis tried to hush her, but she just swatted his hand away, and said, “What?” When she realized what Curtis had been trying to tell her, she gave Jude an apologetic look. “Sorry, I . . . .”

“No,” Jude said, waving away her apology. “I know better than most how he can be.”

“I hope we’re talking about Oscar,” Lionel said with forced cheerfulness.

“Isn’t everyone?” Zero said dryly.

“That was some entrance,” Susan agreed. “A little overdone, but . . . .”

“Hello, Susan,” Oscar said.

“Oh, Oscar!” Susan said with feigned surprise. “I didn’t see you there.”

Oscar gave her a look, but didn’t respond. He moved his gaze to Lionel. “Lionel.”

“Oscar.”

“I thought we’d arrive together.”

“You thought wrong,” Lionel said. “I didn’t think you’d have the balls to show up here.”

Susan choked, and Jude squeezed Zero’s hand.

Oscar glared at Lionel, then moved his gaze to Jude. “Jude.”

“Oscar,” Jude said evenly.

“I see you brought your gay lover with you,” Oscar said without looking at Zero.

Curtis made a strangled sound, but Zero merely said, “Actually, I had my own invitation. Being one of the Devils’ star players, and all. Not that I’d mind being Jude’s plus one. Also, not gay.”

When Oscar finally deigned to look at him, Zero said, “But I will cop to being loud.”

“Jesus christ,” Jude muttered, and then a nervous laugh escaped.

Zero looked at Jude with a pleased expression on his face, and winked. Jude shook his head, but he smiled. Ignoring everyone around them, Jude leaned in and kissed Zero.

Jude stroked his thumb over the inside of Zero’s wrist. “He is kind of loud,” Jude agreed, grinning.

“TMI,” Lionel said.

“Nonsense,” Susan said. “Tell us more.”

“I’m not surprised that you’d condone Jude’s gay lifestyle, Susan,” Oscar observed.

“Of course you’re not,” Susan said blithely. “I’ve been known to indulge in the ‘gay lifestyle’ a little bit myself.”

Before Oscar could respond to that, Marcus appeared. “Oscar,” Marcus said, with so many layers of meaning in the single word that Jude couldn’t even being to guess what they all meant.

Marcus extended his hand and Oscar, after an obvious pause, took it. “I’m glad you could make it,” Marcus said.

“To a party in honor of the people who took my own team away from me? The pleasure’s all mine,” Oscar said dryly.

Marcus ignored that comment and said something about introducing Oscar to someone whose name Jude didn’t catch, and with a forceful hand on Oscar’s shoulder the two men moved off.

“I need a drink after that,” Susan said.

“I need a liquor store,” Lionel said.

Just then Cheryl showed up with a tray full of drinks; refills for all of them.

“You’re a doll,” Susan said. She picked up the drink meant for herself and took a sip.

Jude was reaching out to take the fresh beer Zero was passing to him when Susan spoke again. “Are you sure you’re not interested in a threesome?”

Jude was glad he hadn’t yet taken a sip, but Curtis wasn’t so lucky.

“Still no,” Cheryl said, though she didn’t sound upset to be asked for the whatever number time it was.

“Pity,” Susan said, with real regret in her tone.

“Have you met Susan Hastings yet?” Zero said to Curtis and Natalie.

“No,” Curtis said, his voice still a little raspy from choking. “But I think I’d like to.”

Natalie gave Curtis an elbow in the side, but she was laughing when she did so.

“Don’t worry,” Zero told Natalie. “She’s already called dips on Jude.”

Jude _was_ drinking when Zero said that. He managed to swallow without choking. “What?”

“Don’t worry, dear,” Susan said. “Zero has assured me that he’s not done with you yet himself.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Jude said, trying for outraged, landing somewhere nearer to besotted.

Zero grinned and leaned in for a kiss. Jude was happy to oblige. Instead of pulling back after a quick peck, Zero deepened the kiss. Jude heard himself moan, but couldn’t find it in him to be embarrassed about it.

“New love,” Susan said wistfully.

“I kind of miss being that sickening in love,” Lionel agreed. She threw back the rest of her drink and Susan gave her a worried look she quickly covered with a smile when Lionel looked her way.

~*~

The next entrance didn’t cause as much of a disturbance, but Jude was happier to see him than he’d been to see Oscar. Jude squeezed Zero’s arm and spoke a soft, “Excuse me,” so as not to interrupt the conversation too much.

George Pullman was just declining a flute of champagne when Jude reached him. “George.”

“Jude,” George said, and took the hand Jude extended to him.

“I didn’t expect to see you here tonight.”

“I’m still an owner,” George said. “Technically.”

“No, of course! I didn’t mean . . . .”

“Relax, Jude,” George said. “I’m just teasing you.”

“Jude’s wound a little tight,” Zero said. He palmed Jude’s ass with one hand and reached out to shake George’s hand with the other.

Jude’s protest at being described as ‘tightly wound’ was lost in the heat of pleasure when Zero squeezed.

“How are you doing?” Jude said in a desperate bid to change the subject. “Your son . . . .”

“Robert and Lydia are doing very well,” George said. “Mina had surgery to repair the hole in her heart this morning, and the doctors are very confident that she’ll make a full recovery.”

“That’s wonderful news,” Zero said.

Jude was overcome with the emotions of the past few days, including the fact that he’d, even for the briefest of moments, considered using a child’s illness for his own gain. He threw his arms around a surprised George and hugged him. “I’m happy for you.”

“Jesus, Jude,” George said. “Don’t make me cry in public.” But he brought an arm up to return the hug.

When Jude stepped back, Susan was there to take his place, and Zero was there to wrap his arms around Jude from behind. Zero rested his chin on Jude’s shoulder as they watched Susan, and then the other owners, Benjamin, Thomas, Marcus, and even Wendell, greet George. Jude felt eyes on him, and he glanced over to see Oscar giving Jude and the group surrounding him, a speculative look.

Jude stared back at Oscar for a moment before he very deliberately looked away. Jude leaned into Zero and rested a hand over Zero’s hands clasped together over his stomach. He reached out and drew Lionel into his side, their sides. Zero had been right before. They already had a family.

~*~

It felt to Jude as if the wait had been interminable for Marcus to announce the changes in leadership of the Devils and introduce Jude as a new part-owner, and both he and Jelena as new members of the board, and yet the moment came long before he was prepared for it. Jude’s stomach twisted when he heard the squeal of the microphone being turned on, but he dutifully turned to face the back of the room with everyone else to where the small stage had been set up.

“Thank you all for coming tonight,” Marcus began. “This day marks an historic moment for the Devils. Oscar Kinkade has long been our fearless leader,” Marcus said. “He envisioned a great basketball team and he made that vision a reality.”

Jude tuned out for a moment, not wanting to hear Marcus pat Oscar on the back, even if it was only for the sake of appearances. He tuned back in when Zero nudged him and heard Marcus’ conclusion of, “I have some pretty big shoes to fill, and I look forward to the opportunity.”

Jude had missed Marcus’ announcement of his own promotion to CEO/Chairman of the Board. He’d have to ask Zero later how he’d done so without admitting that the entire board had basically held a no-confidence vote in Oscar. While true, it wouldn’t do to let the fans, or the League, know it.

Marcus took a moment to say goodbye to George Pullman, and then said, “But thanks to both Oscar’s and George’s forward thinking, we have two new owners and board members. Not only will they bring new blood to the Devils leadership, but a whole new generation of ideas as we move forward into an age they’re better equipped to handle than us old fogeys.”

“Speak for yourself, Marcus!” Susan called out, and got a laugh from the crowd.

Marcus introduced Jelena, expounding on her history with the Devils as captain of the Devil Girls, and when Jelena took the stage to applause fueled mostly by drink, Jude caught sight of Terrence for the first time that night. His expression showed his mixed emotions, and then his face went blank.

Jude’s breath caught when Marcus began his introduction, starting with his position as the agent who’d brought Zero to the Devils (Jude ducked his head to hide a smile at the memory), and then his position as EVP. He mentioned Jude’s last name without dwelling on the fact that Oscar had never wanted anything to do with him, and stated that, when George Pullman needed to leave the Devils for personal reasons, he’d told Marcus that he couldn’t think of a better man to sell his shares to. It was a subtle dig at Oscar if you knew to look for it, but Jude got a little choked up all over again.

Zero gave Jude a kiss when Marcus called him forward, and then gave him a little push. Jude gave Zero a fondly exasperated look, but at least he wasn’t thinking about how nervous he was in this moment. Jude stepped up onto the low stage and shook Marcus’ hand, then reached around him and extended his hand to Jelena. Jelena gave Jude a cool look, but she took his hand.

At that moment, Marcus said, “Devils Nation, please welcome your two new owners,” and the Playground erupted in applause.

Jude looked out over the gathered players, dancers, employees, and VIPs. His gaze skimmed over Terrence, and Derek, and Oscar, and found Curtis and Natalie, George Pullman, Lionel and Susan, and Zero. Jude couldn’t keep a straight face when he saw that the five of them (excluding George) were attempting a truncated and out of sync version of the wave.

Marcus said something to Jelena, and then turned to Jude. “Congratulations, Jude.”

“Thank you, Marcus.”

“And good luck,” Marcus said with a sardonic smile.

Jelena had waited for Marcus to urge everyone to enjoy themselves and leave the stage before she approached Jude. She was smiling, and from a distance it might even have looked pleasant. “I hope you don’t think this is over,” Jelena said. Her smile widened. “I’m going to take you and your bitch boyfriend down.”

Jude swallowed hard when Jelena reached out to pat his arm, and he just stood there for a moment after Jelena walked away. When he turned his head to look out over the crowd, everyone had returned to their drinks and conversations. Jude’s eyes caught on Ahsha’s, one of the few people still paying attention to the stage. There was a furrow between her brows, but before Jude could decipher what her expression meant, Zero was at his side.

“What was that about?” Zero said, touching Jude’s arm to give him support, to make sure he was alright.

“Her usual threat,” Jude said, trying to make light of it. “I’m going to get you, and your little dog, too,” Jude said in mimicry.

Zero gave Jude a startled look. “I take it I’m the little dog in this scenario?”

Jude gave a slightly hysterical laugh. He touched Zero’s arm, completing the connection, and immediately felt more grounded. “She can’t trade you, and she can’t get rid of me. Jelena’s hands are tied.”

~*~

Jude was in his office early the next morning because he’d gotten up with Zero, who’d had to leave early to catch the flight to Cleveland. Jude had dropped him off at the airport, gotten a long goodbye kiss for the effort, and then returned home to switch out sweat pants for a suit and tie. As he packed an overnight bag, Jude looked at the clothes hanging in the closet, and then at the furniture. He started thinking about what he could take with him to Zero’s condo, what he’d have to put into storage for their new home, and what he’d need to get rid of.

Looking at the bed, Jude remembered their first time in it, the times Zero had gripped the wooden slats in the headboard while Jude went down on him, and the times he’d threatened to tie Jude’s wrists to it. He thought Zero would agree that the bed was a keeper.

Jude had work he needed to get done before the company jet flew the owners who were able to attend the game out to Cleveland. As part-owner, Jude had new responsibilities, and with them new perks, but he couldn’t let his responsibilities as EVP slide.

Jude was surprised when he glanced up at a knock on his office door to see Ahsha standing there. “Ahsha,” Jude said. He stood and gestured to a chair. “Please, come in, have a seat.”

Ahsha took a few steps into the office and twisted her hands together in front of her. “This won’t take long.”

“Okay,” Jude said, and waited.

Ahsha looked like she was debating with herself. She finally took a deep breath, as if she’d come to a decision, and moved closer to the desk. She hesitated, then sat on the edge of the chair on the right.

Jude returned to his chair, and remained silent, afraid he’d scare her off if he spoke.

“Terrence came to see me,” Ahsha began. “After Jelena broke off their engagement.”

“Jelena broke off their engagement?” Jude said, unable to remain silent after that revelation.

Ahsha frowned. “Yeah. Jelena used him to get the team, and then dumped him.”

“Jesus,” Jude said, falling back in the chair. That explained why Terrence hadn’t fired Jude, and why he and Jelena had been keeping their distance from one another.

“That’s not what I came to tell you. Terrence wanted to warn me about Jelena. He said that she knew things about Derek, and that she might use them because it would hurt me.”

Jude’s brain froze for a second as he wondered whether Jelena knew about the coke, but then he forced himself to pay attention.

“That’s what Jelena does,” Ahsha continued. “She hurts you by hurting someone you love.” Ahsha paused. “Like she did with my mom.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Jude said.

Ahsha shrugged. “You’ve helped Derek and me before.”

Jude didn’t mention his split with Derek, and wondered if Derek had spoken to Ahsha about it.

“And you helped my mom get her job back.”

“I owed Sloane one,” Jude said, minimizing his role.

“And I still feel guilty about what I did to Zero. I wasn’t aiming at him, but Jelena set me up, set both of us up with that one. Anyway, I saw the way Jelena looked at you last night and I just wanted to give you a heads up.”

“Thank you,” Jude said, forcing the word out even though his throat had closed up.

~*~

Jude had his briefcase packed and was waiting on the front steps with the garment bag over his arm when the limo pulled up. The driver put his bag in the trunk with the others and then held the door for him. Jude slid into the back with Lionel and Susan, and then started when the limo began moving again.

“Aren’t we waiting for Marcus?”

“Marcus isn’t coming,” Lionel said. She handed a folded newspaper to Jude.

Above the fold there was a photo of Oscar with a headline that read, _Oscar Kinkade Excited About New Direction For Devils_

“The last time Oscar was excited about anything, I had to knee him in the groin,” Lionel said dryly.

“Don’t joke about that.” Jude gripped the paper. “Every time I think about it, _I_ want to knee him in the groin.”

“My hero,” Lionel said. It was mocking, but held enough affection to take away the sting.

“So what’s Marcus doing?” Jude said. “We won’t know what Oscar’s really up to until the shit hits the fan.”

“Marcus would like to prevent that sort of mess,” Susan said. “He’s staying back to make sure the transition continues to go smoothly.”

“The three of us will represent the Devils at the game tonight,” Lionel said.

“Marcus asked you to go?” Jude said to Lionel.

Lionel waved aside the notion that she’d needed an invitation. “I offered. Marcus was only too happy to accept. Especially after I also offered to spy on Oscar and keep Marcus updated on what he was up to.”

“Lionel,” Jude said, concerned at the breezy way she spoke about betraying Oscar. He glanced at Susan, but could see that she had been unaware of this until now. “You only _played_ a cop on tv . . . .”

“It was a theatrical release,” Lionel corrected.

“Whatever,” Jude said. “If Oscar catches you . . . .”

“Oscar won’t catch me,” Lionel said, then relented at the expression on Jude’s face and said, “I’ll be careful. I promise.”

Jude gave Lionel a look, then said, “If Oscar’s got something up his sleeve, he’s going to keep his dealings close to the vest. How are you going to find out anything?”

“Oscar’s not the only one who can plant a bug or a camera,” Lionel said.

“Where are you going to get a bug and a camera?” Jude said.

“Jude,” Lionel said. “There’s this neat thing called the internet. You’d be surprised at the things you can get there.”

Jude blushed when he remembered the last thing he’d ordered off the internet.

Lionel gave him a contemplative look. “Or maybe you wouldn’t.”

“That would leave a trail,” Susan said, and for a moment Jude thought she was talking about *his* internet purchases. “I know a guy who can set you up.”

Lionel tilted her head and looked at Susan. “And how do you ‘know a guy’?”

“How do you think I got the Devils shares in the divorce?” Susan said.

“You’re a handy girl to know,” Lionel said, and she and Susan bumped fists. “Now.” Lionel turned to Jude. “Tell me what had your panties in a twist when you got in the limo.”

Jude was still trying to get over the image of Lionel and Susan bumping fists, and Lionel was required to repeat her question.

“Oh,” Jude said. “It’s nothing.” His attempt to play it off was weak, but he wasn’t sure even a stronger showing would’ve survived Lionel’s scrutiny.

“Truth,” Lionel said. Demanded.

Jude gave a resigned shake of his head. “Ahsha came to see me,” he said. “To warn me, actually. About Jelena.”

“That girl should come with a warning,” Susan muttered.

“What did she say?” Lionel pushed.

“She said that Jelena’s M.O. is to hurt you by hurting someone you care about,” Jude said.

“Are you worried about Zero’s past coming back to bite him?” Susan said.

Jude shook his head. “No.”

“What could you possibly have done that Jelena could use?” Susan said lightly.

“I have . . . don’t things,” Jude said. “In the pursuit of Oscar’s approval.” He took a deep breath. “That I’m not proud of.”

Jude looked up; Lionel was studying him intently. “That thing you mentioned before,” she said. “Could it still be a problem?”

Jude swallowed hard. “Yes. If Jelena knows about it, or finds out about it.”

“How much of a problem?” Susan said.

Lionel didn’t say anything, just waited for Jude to decide how much information he wanted to trust Susan with. “Prison,” Jude finally said.

Susan didn’t flinch. “Did you kill someone?”

“What? No!” Jude said.

“Did you hurt anyone?” Susan said.

Jude hesitated; he hadn’t even given Lionel this much information. “I helped someone hurt themselves,” he finally admitted.

“Drugs?” Susan guessed.

“Jesus christ, Jude,” Lionel said. “You supplied Derek Roman with coke?”

“Keep your voice down!” Jude said. “How did you know that?”

“You worked for his agency. He came to you about Ahsha. And you were ambitious _and_ naive.”

Jude wanted to protest, but she was too close to the truth of it for comfort.

“And I know a coke head when I see one,” Lionel finished, then said, “What the hell were you thinking?”

“It was just once,” Jude said, then relented. “I wasn’t thinking, alright? I wanted . . . .” He had to pause before he could continue. “I wanted Oscar’s approval so badly, I would’ve done anything.”

“You . . . big dummy,” Lionel said. She gracefully shifted to the seat beside Jude and pulled him into a hug.

Jude let her, because it felt good. When he glanced over at Susan again, she was watching them with an expression he couldn’t decipher.

“We can presume that Jelena doesn’t know,” Susan said.

“Why?” Jude said.

“Because she hasn’t used it yet. And she would have. To get rid of Zero, to make sure she was the one sitting in the big chair.”

“What if she finds out?” Jude said.

“Who else knows besides us? And Derek,” Susan said.

“Zero,” Jude said immediately. “And Sloane.”

“Sloane!” Lionel said. “You told Sloane?”

“Of course I didn’t _tell_ Sloane!” Jude said. He remembered the red envelope he’d hidden in a drawer, as if out of sight meant he could forget about it. “She found out.”

“Will Sloane say anything?” Susan said.

“She hasn’t yet,” Jude said. “And now that Derek and Ahsha are engaged, she wouldn’t want to do anything that would hurt him.”

“I presume Zero wouldn’t say anything,” Susan said.

The question was rhetorical, but Jude shook his head. “He could’ve used the information to hurt Derek, but he didn’t, because it would’ve hurt me.”

“You two are so cute it’s disgusting,” Lionel said.

“Then you’re safe,” Susan said.

“For now,” Jude said.

“Now is all that matters,” Susan said. “Don’t go borrowing trouble.”


	3. chapter three

Jude was glad he’d let Lionel and Susan board the jet ahead of him, because when Susan said, “Jelena, I didn’t know you’d be joining us today,” no one saw the blood drain out of his face.

“Where else would I be?” Jelena said sweetly.

Susan and Lionel took the seats opposite Jelena, leaving Jude the seat beside her. Jude shot a glare at Lionel, but she gave him a bland smile in return. Jude considered sitting elsewhere, but thought it would be too obvious that he was avoiding Jelena, so he stowed his briefcase for take-off and took the empty seat.

Jude glanced up after he’d buckled himself in, feeling the weight of their combined gazes. “What?”

“Expecting turbulence out there?” Lionel said.

“I’m expecting turbulence in here,” Jude retorted, earning a huff of laughter from Susan.

“Touche,” she said.

“Lionel,” Jelena said. “I see Oscar is still . . . .”

“Please don’t say ‘licking his wounds’,” Jude said.

“I wasn’t going to,” Jelena said, looking at Susan and Lionel, who both hid grins at the comment. “I was going to say, pretending he has any say in what happens with the Devils.”

“You saw the headlines,” Lionel said.

Jelena’s answer was a slight tilt of her head.

“Of course Oscar’s not going to admit that he’s lost control,” Lionel said. “He’s going to act as if everything that’s happened was his idea, if only to save face.”

“Until he can stab us all in the back and take back control,” Susan said.

“I’m familiar with being stabbed in the back,” Lionel said dryly as she looked at Jelena.

“You were just a means to an end,” Jelena said. “Getting rid of Oscar was the hard part. Getting rid of you was the easy part.”

Lionel’s smile didn’t slip. “If it was so easy, why aren’t you the sole owner of the team right now?”

Jelena tilted her head in acknowledgment. “I may have underestimated the lengths you’d go to in desperation,” Jelena said.

“It would be scary if the two of you ever decided to work together,” Jude observed wryly, and then squirmed when all three women looked at him. “I know,” he said. “It’s a terrifying thought.”

Just then the ‘remain seated’ sign went out. Jude hoped his movements to unbuckle the seat belt hid his sigh of relief. “As sorry as I am to leave you all,” Jude said, not even trying to sound sincere, “I have some work I need to finish.”

Jude got his briefcase out and moved to a workspace as far from the three women as he could get. He set out his laptop and logged in, then pulled out a pad and pen so he could take notes. Jude reviewed contracts, approved two job descriptions, went over figures, and answered e-mails. He couldn’t help over-hearing some of the conversation taking place up front, especially when their words were sharpest, but he ignored them the best he could.

Jude was reviewing a proposal from Paula Jones, head of ticket sales, when Jelena sat in the seat across the table from him. He raised his eyes and looked at her over the laptop screen.

“What are you doing?” Jelena said.

Jude wasn’t sure if she was really interested, or up to something. It must’ve shown on his face, because she said, “I’m part-owner of the team now; I’m showing an interest in the day-to-day operations.”

“Okay,” Jude said, leaning back in his seat, putting as much distance between them as was possible in the small space. “I’m reviewing a proposal that would fill seats during weekday afternoon games, and also show the Devils’ commitment to the community.”

“I notice you didn’t say the proposal would bring in more revenue,” Jelena said.

Jude bit back a sarcastic comment. He wasn’t dealing with Jelena, captain of the Devil Girls, but Jelena, co-owner of the Devils. “No,” Jude said. “It would be more of a good-will gesture.”

Jelena motioned with her hand, which Jude interpreted to mean, tell me about it.

“Paula is suggesting that we approach the local schools, see if they’d be interested in a field trip to the Arena, which would include a tour, a short presentation on the business aspects of running a team, and a game. Maybe a souvenir, like a t-shirt, and lunch.”

Jelena was frowning when Jude finished speaking, but she said, “That actually sounds like a good idea.”

Jude thought so, too – he’d been thinking about how they could maybe extend the program to other groups of children, like foster kids – but he was surprised to hear Jelena agree with it. Instead of voicing those thoughts, he said, “Paula has some great ideas.”

Jelena indicated the laptop. “May I see?”

Jude hesitated. “It’s in the preliminary stages. She hasn’t filled out the official paperwork to have the proposal considered, just wanted to get my opinion on whether it’s something we should pursue.”

“Understood,” Jelena said, waiting patiently.

Jude couldn’t think of any other reason to not let her see the e-mail, so he turned the laptop around so Jelena could see the screen. Jelena pulled the laptop closer and Jude dug his nails into his palms so he wouldn’t reach out and drag it back. He glanced in the direction of the suspiciously silent Lionel and Susan, who were both kneeling on their seats and peering over the backs as if they were two years old. Jude widened his eyes at them, and then turned away and did his best to ignore them while trying not to fidget as Jelena read.

Finally Jelena pushed the laptop back and studied Jude. “Who usually runs point on something like this?”

“Paula would, or she might assign it to someone in her department,” Jude said.

“In addition to their regular duties,” Jelena said.

“Yes,” Jude said. “Though things like this _are_ part of their regular duties, in a sense.”

“I’d like to be involved in getting the proposal approved, and then getting it off the ground,” Jelena said, surprising Jude to silence. He had the sense that he looked like a fish. “That surprises you.”

“Um, yes?”

“Why?”

Jude hesitated, unsure how honest he should be. “Well, it’s not taking over the world, so . . . .”

Jelena’s lips twitched. “It’s not. I still would like to.”

“Oh-kay,” Jude drawled.

“You know, you were right before,” Jelena said. Jude made a questioning face. “The two of us working together would be unbeatable.”

“I said ‘terrifying’,” Jude corrected. “And I was talking about you and Lionel.”

Jelena waved her hand, as if to brush away the idea.

“Besides,” Jude said, “a partnership between you and me would end badly because you’d never stop trying to get rid of Zero.”

“But it would be a wild ride until it ended,” Jelena said.

“I’m not interested in a ‘wild ride’,” Jude said, and somehow managed not to blush when Jelena raised her eyebrows at that. “I couldn’t work with you because I couldn’t trust you. Every moment I’d be wondering when you were going to betray me the way you betrayed Terrence.”

Jelena’s face went tight, but Jude continued. “If you’d do that to someone you claimed to love, what would you do to someone you had every reason to hate?”

Jelena’s eyes went calculating. “ _Do_ I have a reason to hate you, Jude?”

“I expect you hold me responsible for Marcus sitting in the CEO chair instead of you, and Zero still being a Devil, so yeah . . . .”

Jelena leaned back and studied Jude. “Perhaps,” she finally said. “I’d still like to be involved in that proposal.”

It took Jude a few seconds after Jelena left him to return to her seat with Lionel and Susan before he could turn the laptop around and send a reply off to Paula.

~*~

Jude noticed that Jelena was moving stiffly when they were getting off the jet. He walked slowly so he was just below her on the stairs that had been rolled up to the plane, thinking he could maybe catch her if she stumbled. (He tried not to imagine the expression of disbelief on Zero’s face if Jude told him that.)

“Do you have pain pills with you?” Jude said.

Jelena’s eyes flashed. “I don’t need pain pills. And I don’t need your chivalry.”

“I wouldn’t dream of offering it,” Jude said, but he continued to maintain Jelena’s pace until they reached the limo.

Jelena paused before sliding in to join Lionel and Susan. “Being nice to me isn’t going to stop me from doing everything I can to get rid of Zero.”

“No,” Jude said. “I expect it’ll make you even more determined just so you can show me the error in my thinking.”

Jelena tilted her head and looked almost intrigued by Jude’s comment. “Just so we’re clear,” she said.

The ride to The Q was just as awkward as Jude imagined it would be. At the Arena they were whisked to the VIP section. The moment they arrived, Jelena excused herself to freshen up. Lionel gave Jude a look, then said, “I could visit the little ladies room, too.”

Because they were safe in packs, Susan offered to go with her.

“Don’t drown Jelena in the toilet,” Jude advised before they left. “It would look bad.”

Jude wandered over to look down at the court. Sandy was just bringing out the water bottles and practice balls and a moment later Pete stepped out onto the court followed by the Devils team for their pre-game warm-ups. The seats weren’t even half full, so the boos and jeers they received weren’t as loud as they could be, as they would be later during the game.

In response, Derek and Zero both led a string of players onto the court and alternated lay-ups. On their second run, Derek, and then Zero, each dunked the ball. A smile spread across Jude’s face at the showmanship, and at the one-upmanship between Zero and Derek.

“Jude Kinkade,” a voice said behind Jude. He turned. “Chad Devereaux,” the man said, offering his hand.

Jude reflexively reached out and shook Devereaux’s hand.

“I saw the announcement,” Devereaux went on. “Oscar must be so proud.”

Jude bit back an un-ownerly snort and merely said, “You must not know Oscar very well.”

“No,” Devereaux said. “But I’m looking forward to getting to know his son.”

Lionel appeared before Jude could reflexively reply that Oscar didn’t have a son. Jude realized that Devereaux still held his hand. He pulled it back and said, “Mr. Devereaux . . . .”

“Chad, please.”

“Chad,” Jude corrected. “I’d like you to meet Lionel Davenport-Kinkade.”

“A pleasure,” Chad said as he bent over Lionel’s hand.

“I don’t know if you’ve met Susan Hastings?” Jude said.

“I have,” Chad said. “It’s lovely to see you again, Susan.”

“Tell me if you still feel that way after the game,” Susan said.

“Is that your way of saying you’d like to bet on the outcome?” Chad said, delighted.

“Gambling’s illegal,” Susan said coyly.

“Just a friendly wager between friends, then,” Chad said.

“Buy me a drink and we’ll talk about it.”

Chad agreed, and offered Susan his arm. As they walked away, Lionel turned to stare at Jude.

“What?”

“He was flirting with you,” Lionel said.

“He was not,” Jude protested.

Lionel shook her head despairingly. “How did you get Zero into bed?”

Jelena appeared next to them in time to overhear that. She snorted. “Like it’s hard?”

The sound of his blood rushed loud through Jude’s ears.

“Careful, dear,” Lionel said. “The green is showing.”

“I’m hardly jealous of Jude,” Jelena said, and then wandered off before Jude or Lionel could respond.

Lionel watched Jelena with a speculative expression.

“What is it?” Jude said, finally able to speak.

“She just lied,” Lionel said with a contemplative air.

“You’re not suggesting that she’s secretly got a thing for Zero,” Jude said.

“Oh, heavens no,” Lionel said. “She’d like to gut him like a fish. What the two of you have together, on the other hand . . . .”

“That makes her even more dangerous,” Susan said, sneaking up behind them. “People like Jelena don’t like other people having what they want.”

Jude tried to forget about Jelena and he let his attention turn back to the court. He watched the Devils’ warm-ups until the players all headed back to the locker room. Zero was one of the last players to leave, and he glanced up at Jude before he disappeared down the tunnel. Jude smiled, because he couldn’t help it, and when he turned around, Lionel and Susan were both watching him.

“What?”

They both smiled, but remained silent.

“You two are freaking me out,” Jude said. “I’ll be right back.”

“Going to see Zero?” Lionel said sweetly.

Jude blushed. “Maybe.”

Lionel held out her hand, and Susan slapped a twenty dollar bill into it. “Sucker bet,” Lionel said.

“I know,” Susan agreed. “But it was worth it to see the look on Jude’s face.”

“I hate you both,” Jude said, and moved to step past them.

“Be careful,” Lionel said. “Jelena’s out there somewhere.”

Jude did not run into Jelena as he made his way through the lower level of the Arena to the visiting team’s locker room. The doors were open, so Jude stepped into the locker room and stood just inside the door, watching the activity. Sometimes he still couldn’t believe he was a part of this now.

Curtis noticed him first, and he elbowed Zero, who punched him in the arm before looking up to see why Curtis had nudged him. A smile immediately spread across Zero’s face when he saw Jude.

“Hey,” Zero said as he sauntered over.

“Hey,” Jude said, smiling back.

“What’s wrong?” Zero said.

Jude opened his mouth to lie, but he was too transparent when it came to Zero. “I’ll tell you about it after the game,” he promised.

“Jelena,” Zero said, sounding disgusted.

At first Jude thought Zero had guessed the source of his worries, but then he realized that Jelena had just entered the locker room behind him.

“Zero,” Jelena said with the same depth of disgust.

“What are you doing here?” Zero said.

Jelena put on a feigned look of shock. “I’m here to watch the game, of course. And support my team. Break a leg out there,” she said, and moved to step around them.

Zero’s gaze returned to Jude, and he silently raised his eyebrows in question.

“It was an interesting plane ride,” Jude said.

“Oh,” Jelena added, almost as an afterthought, though they both knew she did nothing without giving it a lot of thought. “You’d better keep an eye on this one. He’s getting propositioned left and right out there.”

Jude went red with anger and embarrassment. “I did not . . . .” He broke off when Jelena ignored him and walked away. Jude looked at Zero, who was giving him a heated look. “I did not . . . .”

“Am I going to have to kiss you on the court after the game again tonight?” Zero said.

Jude went hot for an entirely different reason. “You don’t _have_ to,” he said, but they both knew it was the only thing he’d be thinking about for the entire game.

“Well,” Zero said. “If I don’t _have_ to.” He leaned in and gave Jude a kiss. “Maybe I’ll do it just because I want to.”

~*~

Jude returned to the VIP area in a daze.

“Did you run into Jelena?” Lionel asked.

“Yes,” Jude said, a surge of irritation rushing through him when he remembered what she’d said to Zero.

“But that’s not what you were thinking about when you first showed up,” Susan said.

The irritation was replaced by a warmth that filled Jude’s chest and colored his cheeks. “I plead the Fifth,” Jude said.

“What did Jelena want on the plane?” Lionel said, moving closer so she wouldn’t be overheard.

Jude told them.

“What’s her angle?” Lionel said.

Jude shrugged. She had to have one, but Jude had no idea – yet – what it was.

“Keep your eyes open around her,” Susan said.

“And keep your wits about you,” Lionel added.

At Jude’s look, she explained, “Jelena got Ahsha to do her dirty work regarding Zero by pissing her off over Sloane. That girl thinks ahead, and nothing is ever straightforward with her.”

Like giving Lionel the evidence Sloane had collected against Oscar, Jude thought, but was savvy enough to not voice.

Jelena still hadn’t returned when Jude, Lionel, and Susan relocated to their courtside seats behind the team. They arrived just before the Devils were announced and ran out onto the court. The fans booed, especially when Zero’s name was announced, which only made Zero grin wider. Jude watched the entire team, noting each player, and realizing that he had to start looking at them in a different light now that he was part-owner.

And then Jude’s gaze found Zero again, and all thoughts of team ownership and additional responsibility fled from his brain. The crowd went wild when the home team was announced, and Jelena slipped up next to Jude during the pandemonium. Jude tried to ignore her, but he could feel her gaze on him.

Jude finally gave in and turned to her. “What?”

“You really care about him,” Jelena said, voice filled with disbelief.

“Of course I do,” Jude said.

“Why?” Jelena said.

Though it was difficult for Jude to not take offense at that, he realized that the question hadn’t been asked merely to be insulting; she was actually interested in Jude’s answer. Jude couldn’t help looking back out at the court, finding Zero and drinking in the sight of him.

Jude knew it was dangerous to give Jelena additional information that she could use against them, but he couldn’t help wanting to answer. “Why does anyone fall in love with someone?” He almost mentioned Jelena and Terrence’s relationship, but decided last minute that would be a bad idea.

“I love his sense of humor,” Jude went on, “and the way he smiles when I kiss him. I love his strength of spirit, his resiliency.”

Jude paused, waited for Jelena to say something sarcastic. When she didn’t, Jude glanced over to make sure she was still there. “The two of you, you saw the worst parts of each other. The things he did when he was trying to become king to your queen, those things are part of him, but they’re not all of him.”

For a brief moment Jelena looked envious of what Jude and Zero had, and then her lips twisted. “If you think falling in love would bring out a kinder, gentler Jelena, you’re mistaken.”

Jude shook his head. “No, it’s not . . . I have rough edges,” he said. “Places where I’m jagged and broken. Zero’s rough edges fit mine.”

Jelena rolled her eyes. “Are you telling me he completes you?”

Jude blushed. “No. Maybe.”

“There is a split soul theory,” Susan said. “Sri Aurobindo once said, ‘The supreme state of human being is the unity of one soul in two bodies’.”

“So you’re saying that Jude and Zero are _soul mates_?” Jelena said incredulously.

“Oh my god,” Jude said.

“More like kintsugi,” Lionel said.

“Were you both listening?” Jude said.

“Yes,” Susan said. “But it was difficult to hear you over the crowd noise, so speak up next time.”

Jude shook his head. “I’m afraid to ask, but what is kintsugi?”

“The Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold,” Lionel said. “The repaired item is more beautiful than the original.”

“I’m going to throw up,” Jelena said.

~*~

The game ended with a win for the Devils. Jude got a hug from both Lionel and Susan. When he looked at Jelena, who stood apart from them, aloof, she said, “Don’t even think about it.”

“Our boys are on a roll,” Susan said.

Jude didn’t respond, but he couldn’t help recalling the amazing plays Zero had made, from steals to assists to rebounds. The only time Jude had been concerned was when Zero had taken an especially vicious blow to the ribs. His revenge had come in the form of two free shots that put the Devils ahead; a lead they hadn’t relinquished for the rest of the game, though they’d only added on the six point cushion in the final seconds.

The team was congratulating each other on the win with hugs and backslaps, and slowly trickling off the court. Zero, left alone for a moment, glanced over at Jude, who grinned happily back.

Zero tilted his chin just a little bit in question, and Jude went hot when he recalled Zero’s promise to kiss him on the court after the game. Jude raised his chin just a little bit in response, which wasn’t an answer, not really, unless you were someone who couldn’t resist a challenge.

Zero gave Jude a look, squared his chin, and then sauntered over to the sideline. Jude shoved his hands into his pockets and fingered the key, but otherwise didn’t move. His breathing sped up in anticipation as he watched Zero’s approach.

“Good game,” Jude said when Zero was close enough to hear, as if they both didn’t know exactly why Zero had approached him.

“I’ve got more game where that came from.” Zero said.

Jude laughed, and Zero’s kiss caught him unprepared. He reached up and gripped Zero’s arms, sliding his hands up to cup Zero’s jaw. It took Jude a second to regain his balance when they parted.

“I’ve got a proposition for you,” Zero said, referring to Jelena’s earlier comment.

“Yes,” Jude said.

Zero raised his eyebrows. “I haven’t told you what it is.”

“Anything,” Jude said, and watched the emotions play over Zero’s face.

Zero gave Jude a smirk that looked soft at the edges. “I’ll hold you to that.”

Jude shivered, as much at the heated look in Zero’s eyes as the cold sensation when Zero’s hand slipped off his arm. Jude watched Zero’s back until he disappeared down the tunnel to the locker room. He was alone; Lionel and Susan had actually stepped back to give him some privacy. Jude took a moment to let the flush fade and to school his expression before he turned to face them.

~*~

Jude joined Lionel and Susan in the hotel bar only because he knew it would be a while before Zero arrived. Jelena hadn’t joined them in the bar and Jude hoped she was resting rather than plotting his and Zero’s downfall. He’d texted his room number to Zero after they’d collected their keys, and now he was watching the clock as much as the replays on Sports Center on the flat screen above the bar.

Jude’s phone buzzed against his chest and he casually checked it, but both Lionel and Susan gave Jude knowing looks when he excused himself. Jude felt self-conscious, but he had a spring in his step when he returned to his room. Jude hung his suit jacket up and toed off his shoes. He washed his face and brushed his teeth. He turned on the television, volume low, so he had some background noise. And then he waited. He checked the clock on the bedside stand. He checked his phone. He paced.

When the knock came on his door, Jude’s heart leapt into his throat. He laughed at his reaction, the way he’d been acting, as if he and Zero had never done this before. Though, to be fair, clandestine meetings in hotel rooms was new for them.

Jude opened the door and his breath caught at the sight of Zero leaning casually against the doorframe, his duffel bag hanging off his shoulder. “Hey,” Jude said. “Come in.”

Zero gave Jude a once over as he passed him, and then surveyed the room. He dropped the duffel and turned back to face Jude as he pushed the door shut and flipped the swing lock. Jude didn’t move when Zero stalked back over to him, though his heart sped up. He wasn’t sure who reached for who first, and when their lips met it didn’t matter. They kissed until Jude was breathless and aching, and then they kissed some more.

Zero backed them up until Jude’s back hit the door and their groins came together. Jude moaned into the kiss, and it was as if a fire had been lit inside both of them. Zero’s hands were heavy with purpose as they moved over Jude’s back, his sides. The kiss deepened and took on a frenetic air as their hips moved together.

Jude felt cold when Zero suddenly released him and stepped back, but he was warmed by the heat in Zero’s eyes as he reached out to use Jude’s tie to pull him across the room to the bed. Jude began to unbutton his shirt before their feet stopped moving.

Zero tugged and loosened the knot at Jude’s throat. Jude’s fingers dropped to pull the tails of his shirt out of his slacks while Zero unbuttoned the collar. With both of them working at it, they soon had Jude’s shirt open and pushed back. Jude tugged Zero’s shirt out of his slacks while Zero pushed Jude’s shirt off his shoulders. They laughed, a breathless, helpless sound, when they got tangled up trying to undress the other.

That’s what they were, Jude thought, so tangled up in each other that it was difficult to see where one ended and the other began, and then there was no more thought, just the slide of hands and lips as they removed the rest of their clothing and came together on the bed. Zero kissed his way down Jude’s body as he opened him up, and when Zero slid inside him, Jude imagined their broken edges fused by lines of gold.

~*~

They lay together after, sweat and come drying on their skin. Zero held Jude and kissed the top of the head Jude rested on Zero’s shoulder.

“Tell me now what’s really been bothering you,” Zero said.

Jude felt an irrational need to get cleaned up first, to separate any talk of Jelena from the moment they’d just shared. Zero didn’t comment on Jude’s anal tendencies, just got out of bed and held out his hand to Jude.

When they were dressed in t-shirts and boxers, cuddled beneath the covers with the television still droning on low, Jude told Zero about Ahsha’s visit that morning, and her warning.

“We already knew we had to watch our backs,” Zero said.

“What if she finds out about the coke and tries to use it against us, against you?” Jude said.

“How would she find out?” Zero said.

“I don’t know!” Jude said. “That’s the point. How does Jelena find out anything?”

“What did Lionel say?”

Jude was taken aback by the change in direction their conversation took. “I . . . How did you know I told Lionel?”

Zero raised his eyebrows and gave Jude his patented ‘Really, Jude?’ look.

Jude sighed. “Lionel agreed with Susan . . .”

“Susan knows?”

“. . . that if Jelena knew she’d have used it against us already.”

Zero rubbed his hand up Jude’s arm. “Then we’re good.”

“For now,” Jude repeated his earlier concern.

“We’ll worry about it if it becomes a problem,” Zero said. “You can’t solve everything; just concentrate on the things on your plate now.”

“It’s like you don’t even know me,” Jude muttered.

Zero laughed. “I know you, babe. Like I know you’ll call Stafford Bilcheck tomorrow and have him do a more thorough search on Jelena.”

Jude snuggled closer to Zero. “You *do* know me.”

Zero pushed his fingers through Jude’s hair. “Yeah, I do.”

~*~

Jude woke early. Not because he felt well-rested, but because he couldn’t turn his brain off enough to fall back to sleep. He got out of bed so his tossing and turning didn’t wake Zero. Jude powered on his laptop, thinking he’d get some work done before the short flight to Philadelphia. Instead he found himself Googling ‘kintsugi’.

Jude was reviewing e-mails and the draft of the official proposal Paula had put together when Zero stirred.

“Time ‘s it?” Zero said. Jude told him and Zero groaned. “Why are you up so early?”

Jude didn’t tell Zero that he couldn’t sleep, just said, “I wanted to check my e-mails before the flight. I didn’t wake you, did I?”

“I think your _absence_ might’ve woken me,” Zero said, sounding more awake. He pushed the blankets down to his hips and stretched, blatantly showing off his body.

A pleased grin spread across Jude’s face. “Are you sure you don’t need more rest before the game?” Jude said.

“I’ll nap on the plane,” Zero said. “Why don’t you stop whatever you’re doing and come back over here.”

The sleep-roughened rasp of Zero’s voice shivered through Jude. He pushed the laptop back and rose. He’d only thrown on a t-shirt and pair of boxers, so it was easy to get naked again. Or it would’ve been if Zero hadn’t been watching Jude with a heated gaze that made every movement jerky and uncoordinated.

Jude finally landed on the mattress and Zero rolled towards him with a smirk. “Glad you could make it.”

“Oh, fuck you,” Jude said without any heat.

Zero laughed, and let his hand land on Jude’s hip before sliding it up his side. He pressed a kiss to Jude’s lips, curved in a smile despite his awkward landing, and said, “I think I’d like that.”

It took Jude a few seconds to realize what Zero meant. “Yeah?”

“Oh, yeah,” Zero said. He gave Jude another, deeper kiss, and then rolled onto his stomach.

Jude’s breath caught at the way Zero could just offer himself to Jude like that. He reached out to touch Zero’s shoulder, and let his fingers trail a path down his back to the dip at the base, and then up the rise of his ass cheeks. Jude teased his thumb between them, and forced his gaze to Zero’s face, half smooshed into the pillow, but turned so he could watch Jude.

“You remember what to do, right?” Zero said, the lightness of his voice at odds with the darkness of his eyes.

Jude’s response was a sharp slap to Zero’s cheek that made his eyes go darker as he bit back a groan.

“I’ll muddle through,” Jude said, brushing the pad of his thumb over Zero’s hole.

Zero’s laughter cut off with a moan as he spread his legs in invitation. Or, knowing Zero, demand.

Jude reached for the condoms and lube they’d left on the bedside table. He felt Zero’s gaze on him, weighted with expectation. Jude squeezed lube onto his fingers, and then reached for Zero, his movements slow and careful. He took his time spreading the lube over Zero’s hole until his body went taut with anticipation.

“Jesus christ, Jude,” Zero finally groaned, and only then did Jude push the tip of one finger inside him.

Zero groaned again, this time with relief. “Fucking finally,” he said.

Jude pushed his finger in as far is it could go, then pulled it all the way out, letting Zero’s hole close back up before pressing in again.

“Just making sure you’re well-prepared,” Jude said, waiting for Zero to make a joke about Jude’s ‘anal-ness’.

“You’re just being an asshole,” Zero said, his tone falling just short of a whine. “You know I can take . . . fuck, yeah,” Zero groaned when Jude withdrew his finger and pressed back in with two.

Jude lowered his head and dragged his lips across Zero’s shoulder as he moved his fingers in and out of Zero. Zero raised his head and they both stretched until their lips met. Zero moaned so sweetly into Jude’s mouth when Jude finally brushed the tips of his fingers over the sensitive nub inside him.

“Fuck, Jude,” Zero gasped when Jude increased the pressure on his prostate.

Zero looked so good like this that Jude couldn’t resist pressing his own hardness into Zero’s hip. The kiss grew messy when Zero’s hips began to move as he tried to ride Jude’s fingers. Jude closed his teeth on Zero’s bottom lip when he pressed in with three fingers.

The movement of Zero’s hips became erratic. “Come on, Jude, I need . . .”

Jude pressed another kiss to Zero’s shoulder. “I’ve got you,” he said.

Jude withdrew his fingers and reached for the foil packet. By the time he’d rolled on the condom and applied more lube, Zero had gotten to his knees and was watching Jude with dark, hooded eyes as he slowly stroked himself.

Jude got into position, but he couldn’t help taking a moment to appreciate the sight of Zero on his knees for him. Jude slid his hands down Zero’s sides to his ass, spread his cheeks so he could see the relaxed hole, shiny with lube, waiting to be filled once more.

Zero’s growl of impatience nearly drowned out Jude’s sound of appreciation. “I love the way you look,” Jude said, touching a finger to the wrinkled pucker.

“It would look better with your cock in it,” Zero said impatiently.

Jude laughed, but he couldn’t deny the sentiment. He positioned himself at Zero’s hole and pressed. Zero made a desperate noise at the long slow glide as Jude entered him. When he was fully inside Zero, Jude had to pause a moment to collect himself before he pulled out so he could push back in.

Jude forced himself to maintain the slow pace, to draw it out and make it last, even though all his body wanted was to cover Zero’s back and race him to the finish line. He watched the way Zero’s hole gripped him. “You were right,” Jude said. “It does look better.”

Zero made a sound that was half exasperated, half pleased. “You’re watching your cock fuck me?”

“Yes,” Jude breathlessly admitted.

“That’s so hot,” Zero said.

Jude made a sound of agreement. He released Zero’s hip and touched his hole, felt the way he opened around his cock. He pushed, testing the tightness of the stretched ring.

Zero groaned. “Do it.”

Jude hadn’t been thinking about doing anything other than teasing the muscle, but he was thinking it now. He pressed until Zero’s hole stretched to admit his finger alongside his cock, and they both groaned at the increased pressure.

“Fuck, Jude,” Zero panted, his hand moving faster on himself.

Jude’s balls went tight and achy. He carefully withdrew his finger and bent so he covered Zero’s back. Jude pressed his lips to the back of Zero’s neck and slammed into him, racing him to the finish line.

~*~

Jude let Zero shower first. Despite the fact that he wore sweat pants and flip flops most days, and had shorter hair, it took him longer to get ready than it did Jude.

Jude stretched out on the bed as he listened to the shower start up. When they’d both finished, he’d rolled off and fallen beside Zero as they both breathed hard and let their muscles recover enough to move. The look Zero had given him after was warm and satisfied.

“I love you,” Zero said.

“I love you, too, stupid,” Jude said, and they both grinned.

Zero had managed to drag himself over and give Jude a kiss before he slowly crawled out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. Jude was lying in that same spot, fingers trailing through the come that had spilled by the time he’d finally remembered to remove the condom, basking in the afterglow when Zero came out of the bathroom with wet hair and a towel around his waist.

Zero gave Jude a look and smirked. “You gonna be able to move any time soon?”

“Fuck you,” Jude said blissfully as he stretched.

“Been there, done that,” Zero drawled.

Jude laughed mid-stretch. “Yeah,” he said, tone full of satisfaction.

Zero let the towel fall open, and while Jude was distracted by all the bare flesh on display, Zero snapped the towel at Jude. Laughing, Jude rolled to the other side of the bed and to his feet. He gave Zero a kiss as he passed him to take his turn in the shower.

Zero was dressed in slacks, but his chest was bare as he stood in front of the mirror fixing his hair when Jude pushed back the shower curtain. Jude dried his face with a corner of the towel to cover the smile that spread across it at the sight of Zero doing something so ordinary.

“I know you’re laughing at me,” Zero said without taking his eyes away from his reflection.

“I’m not laughing.” Jude lowered the towel. “I’m happy.”

“Well,” Zero said. He looked at Jude and smiled. “As long as you’re happy.”

Zero waited until Jude stepped out of the tub to say, “I called my accountant yesterday. To have him liquidate some of my funds.”

Jude’s mouth opened and closed.

“Did you think I forgot? Or that you’d have to sell the Porsche after all?” Zero said, almost mockingly.

“No,” Jude said. There had been so much going on the last few days, Jude had . . . not forgotten exactly, but had given the money a lower priority. “I still can’t believe we did it,” he said.

“You did most of the heavy lifting,” Zero said.

Jude shook his head. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you. I wouldn’t have _wanted_ to.”

“Sap,” Zero said, but he leaned in to kiss Jude again before leaving the bathroom to finish getting dressed.

Jude dried off and followed Zero into the main room. He tried to ignore the once over Zero gave him as he got a clean set of underclothes out of his bag. Zero finished buttoning the dress shirt he’d finally put on, and then sat down on the desk chair to put on his socks and shoes. He jostled the desk and the mouse moved enough to bring the screen back up. He glanced at it, then did a double-take. “What’s this?”

The last thing Jude had been looking at was the draft proposal, so Jude told Zero about it, and self-consciously mentioned his hopes to extend the program to other groups of children, like foster kids.

Zero had stopped putting his socks on to listen. When Jude finished speaking, Zero looked overcome with emotion. “Jude.”

“Do you think it’s a bad idea?” Jude said.

“No,” Zero said. “I can’t believe you’d do that for me. For them,” Zero corrected. “Because of me.”

Jude smiled. “I told you, I’d do anything for you. This is the least of what I’d do.”

“I really do love you,” Zero said, voice thick with emotion.

“I know,” Jude said fervently, wanting Zero to know that he didn’t doubt it. “I love you, too.”

They fell silent after that. Zero finished with socks and shoes and watched Jude get dressed. Jude tried not to blush under his gaze.

The screen of Jude’s phone, silenced so they could sleep, lit up. Zero gave him a questioning look and Jude nodded. Zero picked it up. “Lionel,” he said before answering.

“Jude is indisposed right now,” Zero drawled in response to whatever Lionel had said when he answered the call. He laughed when Jude gave him a look and rushed over to take the phone from him.

“I’m not . . . ,” Jude began talking into the cell, and then froze when he saw the picture on the laptop screen – a bowl, it’s broken pieces fused back together with lines of gold. Jude blushed and quickly looked away from Zero’s speculative expression. “I’m not indisposed,” Jude said to Lionel. “What’s up?”

Jude drew his conversation with Lionel out as long as he could. When they disconnected, he dropped the phone on the bed and went back to buttoning his dress shirt. “Lionel wants us to meet her and Susan for breakfast.”

“Mmm hmm,” Zero said. As if Jude needed the reminder that, while he was paying attention to what Jude said, there was something else on his mind.

“Is your duffel all packed?” Jude said, determined to ignore the elephant in the room as long as he could.

“Yes,” Zero said. “This bowl’s pretty.”

Jude’s movements went jerky before he could get them back under control. “Yes,” Jude agreed, the word coming out breathless.

“Gonna tell me why you were looking at it?” Zero said casually.

“It’s nothing,” Jude said.

“Looks like something,” Zero said. He glanced at the screen. “Kintsugi. What is that?” he said to Jude, though his gaze was still on the screen.

Jude told Zero what kintsugi was. “Lionel mentioned it,” he said. “I thought it sounded interesting, so I Googled it.”

“Lionel mentioned it,” Zero repeated. “In relation to what?”

Jude turned away to hide his heated cheeks. “Us,” he admitted.

Zero was silent for so long that Jude glanced over. He was staring at the screen, had reached out to touch it. “Broken pieces,” Zero said. “More beautiful after it’s been mended.”

Zero looked at Jude, and Jude nearly staggered under the weight of the emotions left bare on Zero’s face. “Is that what you think we are?”

It took Jude a few tries to be able to speak. He swallowed hard and finally managed a, “Yes.”

Zero stood and moved across the room so fast that Jude didn’t have time to react before he was swept up in a kiss that started out as hot and went to inferno in moments.

“How hungry are you?” Zero growled, not waiting for an answer before he manhandled Jude over to the desk. “I wish we had time so I could get you completely naked,” Zero said as Jude bent obediently for him.

Jude closed his eyes against the image of the gold streaked bowl on the screen, and bit his lip against the moan that wanted to escape as Zero opened him up.

“Wish we had a plug,” Zero said conversationally, as if he hadn’t bared Jude’s ass, and didn’t currently have two fingers inside him. “I’d ride you bareback and plug you up so my come stayed inside you. Every time you moved, every time you *breathed*, you’d feel it, and you’d think about this moment.”

Jude whimpered. “Zero,” he said, then, “God, please.”

When Zero slid inside him, Jude felt every inch of him. He wouldn’t need the plug to remember this, the feel of Zero stretching him, filling him, joining with him. One soul in two bodies, Jude thought, and then there was no room for thought.

~*~

Lionel was tapping her foot when Jude rushed out of the hotel with his briefcase in one hand and his garment bag over his shoulder. “Sorry,” Jude said as he hurriedly deposited his bag in the trunk with the others.

Jude couldn’t help following Lionel’s gaze when she caught sight of Zero casually strolling out of the hotel as if they weren’t late, as if the cars driving the team to the airport hadn’t already departed. Zero paused under the canopy to take a deep breath and stretch.

Lionel shook her head. “You two are impossible. Get in the car.” Taking her own advice, Lionel slid into the back of the limo.

Jude gave Zero a look and hissed, “What are you doing?”

Zero grinned. “Having a great morning.”

Jude got in the limo and tried to ignore Zero following him, and the judging looks that greeted him inside.

Susan waited until they were seated to point out a bag and two take-out cups. “We brought you something to eat, since you missed breakfast.”

“Thank you,” Jude said, contrite, especially since now that he was sitting down he was reminded of why they’d missed breakfast.

“Sorry,” Zero said cheerfully. “Something came up.”

“Oh my god,” Lionel said with soft despair.

“Anything we could help you with?” Susan said with faux innocence.

Lionel covered her face. Jude choked on the coffee he’d just taken a sip of.

“Nah,” Zero said. “I handled it. But thanks.”

“It’s a standing offer,” Susan said.

“ _This_ is the best and brightest the Devils has to offer?” Jelena said. As cutting remarks went, it wasn’t her best effort. Jude studied her, and when Jelena caught him doing so, she gave him a glare that could’ve cut glass.

“Exciting, isn’t it?” Susan said.

“That’s not what I was thinking,” Jelena said.

Zero dropped an arm across Jude’s shoulder. “What’s in the bag?”

Jude opened the bag and peered inside.

“It’s not poisoned,” Lionel said, mistaking Jude’s hesitation.

“We didn’t let Jelena anywhere near the bag,” Susan added.

“We’re joking about this now?” Zero said, steel behind the humor, his arm tightening across Jude’s shoulders.

Susan gave Zero a wink, more ‘trust me’ than salacious this time.

“I’m more subtle than that,” Jelena said.

“As long as you think so, dear,” Susan said.

Jelena glared at her, but Susan ignored it.

Jude felt self-conscious eating in front of the others, given that they all suspected the very correct reason they’d missed breakfast, but he was hungry. There were small dishes of fresh fruit and croissants that smelled heavenly.

Susan said something on point about the Philly defense, which started a conversation between her and Zero about that night’s game while they ate. Jude licked the butter off his fingers before reaching for a napkin. He felt Zero’s gaze on him, but refused to acknowledge it.

Jude re-packed their trash into the bag for disposal and made the mistake of shifting on the seat to set the bag aside. The movement reminded him once more (in technicolor detail) what he and Zero had done that morning. Jude knew that Zero had to have noticed Jude’s discomfort – Zero noticed everything, especially if it was something Jude didn’t want him to notice – but he merely stroked his thumb against Jude’s neck in response.

When Jude could bring himself to look, Zero seemed relaxed beside him as he continued his conversation with Susan, but Jude could tell that he was very alert. Jude braced himself and moved his leg as if he was just making himself more comfortable, so that he brushed Zero’s leg. The only outward reaction was the skip in the stroke of his thumb against Jude’s skin.

Their conversation broke off when the limo pulled into the airport and everyone peered out the windows. Zero took the moment of the others having their attention on something else to look at Jude. His eyes were dark, and he looked like he wanted to kiss Jude. Jude realized that, while he bore the physical reminders of their most recent coupling, Zero bore the reminders on his soul.

As the limo pulled up to the team’s plane to let Zero out, Zero leaned in and gave Jude the briefest of kisses. He stroked Jude’s neck one last time before pulling away, his eyes making a promise that sent a surge of heat through Jude.

“See you guys later,” Zero said to the limo at large, but his gaze remained on Jude a beat longer than the others.

The door opened and Zero grabbed his duffel and slid out of the car. Jude watched for a moment as Zero walked towards the plane, and then the door was closed and moments later the limo pulled away.

Jude didn’t know what deity to thank that no one spoke after Zero left, and when they boarded the jet and conversation resumed, it was about something other than why Jude and Zero had missed breakfast.

After the jet took off, Jude moved to the work area and asked Jelena to join him. She wanted to help with the proposal, so Jude would let her help. If she was in favor, she wouldn’t put up road blocks. Jude would have to keep an eye on her to make sure she wasn’t trying to do something that would hurt him and Zero or the Devils, but he had to do that anyway. Keeping her close would be worth it if they could get the proposal approved by the board.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now you know why there's a photo of a bowl at the beginning of this story. *g*


	4. chapter four

Three days away from the office meant Jude was busy when they returned. He’d been able to keep up on a lot of his work between e-mails, phone calls, and one skype session, but there were some things that required actual face time. Jude went through the files left on his desk, then stopped by Marcus’ office to touch base.

“What’s Oscar done now?” Jude said when he saw the expression on Marcus’ face.

“He’s been very helpful,” Marcus said without a touch of sarcasm.

“That doesn’t sound like Oscar,” Jude said.

“Which is why it’s worrying,” Marcus agreed.

Jude told Marcus about Jelena’s offer (demand) to help with Paula’s proposal. Marcus raised his eyebrows. “Maybe it’ll keep her too busy to plot your demise, but just in case, watch your back.”

Zero stopped in to see Jude before a late practice in deference to the late hour they arrived home that morning.

“I think we should spend the night at your place,” Jude said.

Zero stopped as if he’d hit an invisible wall. “Oh-kay?”

“I called my rental agency this morning and gave a verbal 30-day notice, and then sent it over in writing,” Jude said.

“Yeah?” Zero said.

“Yeah,” Jude said. “So . . . I don’t have anything at your place. I’ll pack a bag for tonight, and then maybe this weekend we can get the rest of my clothes and stuff.”

“Yeah?” Zero said again, but this time he was smiling.

“Yeah. And then we have to decide what’s going into storage . . . ,” Jude began, only to be cut off when Zero pulled him into a kiss.

“We’re really doing this,” Zero said when he released Jude’s mouth.

“Yeah,” Jude said with a breathless laugh. “I mean, you bought us a house.”

“Us,” Zero repeated.

Before Zero could kiss Jude again, a knock at the door broke them apart. “I hope I’m not interrupting,” Jelena said.

“No you don’t,” Jude said easily before Zero could say whatever words were on the tip of his tongue. To Zero, Jude said, “I’ll see you later.”

Zero gave Jude a quick kiss despite Jelena’s presence (or maybe because of it) and mouthed, ‘Be careful,’ before he left without a word to Jelena. Zero’s response when Jude had told him about Jelena wanting to help with the proposal had been about the same as Marcus’.

Jude checked his watch as he walked around to the other side of the desk. Jelena was early – purposely, no doubt – but Jude didn’t mention it. He indicated the chairs in front of his desk. “Have a seat; Paula should be here soon.”

They sat there for a few seconds and Jude struggled for something to say. “How’s your wound healing?”

Jelena gave Jude a bland look. “It’s fine.”

“We’re supposed to get rain this afternoon.”

“I don’t want to discuss the weather, Jude.”

“No small talk, then,” Jude said. “So why are you here?”

Jelena raised her eyebrows. “We have a meeting.”

Jude gave his watch a pointed look. “We all know how much you like to make an entrance, so why are you here early?”

“Maybe I just wanted to see for myself what goes on in this office.”

Jude raised his eyebrows and fought back a blush as he recalled in vivid detail the kinds of things that had gone on in that office.

“Not that!” Jelena said. “I’d have to spork my eyes out. Watching the two of you make googly eyes at each other is bad enough.”

“Thank goodness,” Jude said, “because that would’ve been weird.”

The corners of Jelena’s lips might’ve twitched.

“Googly eyes?” Jude said.

“Shut up,” Jelena said.

Paula was, thankfully, right on time for their meeting. Jude officially introduced her to Jelena and the three of them went over the latest draft of the proposal. Paula agreed to get the proposal finalized and sent to Jude to begin the official process of getting it approved.

Before Paula left, Jude asked who she was thinking of putting in charge of the project if it went through. “Ms. Howard would like to assist in getting the program up and running,” Jude told her.

“Of course,” Paula said in the perky tone that meant someone was being forced to do something unpleasant, but there was no other choice but to grin and bear it.

“Don’t worry about Jelena being one of the owners,” Jude said. “She’s a team player and used to taking direction.”

“Alright,” Paula said, and then she escaped, probably glad she hadn’t been planning on overseeing the project herself.

Jelena waited until the door had closed behind Paula to say, “I expected to be in charge.”

“You don’t have any experience with this sort of thing,” Jude said. He raised his hand to forestall Jelena’s comment. “I’m sure you’re a quick learner and will be running the program in no time, but even you will need someone with experience to show you the ropes.”

Jelena left without giving Jude a hard time. He would’ve felt better if she had.

~*~

Jude might’ve felt self-conscious pulling into the extra parking space next to Zero’s Porsche if the other cars in the lot weren’t even more ostentatious. He stared at the building for a moment before turning off the engine. Jude took a deep breath, then got out and grabbed his bags.

He’d been to Zero’s place before, but this was different. He wasn’t merely visiting, or spending the night. This was the prelude to Jude moving in with Zero, the first step to eventually living together in the house Zero had bought for them. Warmth filled Jude’s chest when he thought about it, but he couldn’t deny that there were butterflies, too.

Jude barely saw the plush furniture and expensive artwork in the reception area, but he did manage to nod a polite greeting to the woman he passed on his way to the bank of elevators. Jude clutched his keys in his hand as he stepped off the elevator, but before he even thought to sort through them for the key to Zero’s condo, he looked up to see Zero lounging in the doorway, watching Jude walk down the corridor.

“Hey,” Jude said, his feet almost stumbling over each other at the sight.

“Hey,” Zero said. He’d showered and changed into a pair of comfortable lounge pants and a loose t-shirt, Jude noticed, his gaze moving over Zero and drinking in the sight of him on automatic.

Jude greeted Zero with a kiss, and let Zero deepen it before drawing him into the condo. Jude looked around while Zero closed and locked the door, seeing the space (and there was a lot of it) in a new light now that he’d be sharing it.

“You alright?” Zero said, too perceptive, as always.

“Yeah,” Jude said with more confidence than he felt. “Of course. I’m just . . . a little bit nervous,” he admitted.

“Too soon?” Zero said with a casualness Jude knew was faked.

“No!” Jude said. “No. I-I want this. I want this with _you_.”

Zero smiled. “I want this with you, too, stupid.”

Jude laughed. He held out his hand and it trembled slightly. “I don’t know why I’m nervous.”

Zero took Jude’s hand into his and held it. “It’s a big step. And I’m a big risk.”

“No.” Jude shook his head. “You’re the only thing in my life I’m certain about.”

It looked like Zero was going to say something smart to cover the stunned expression that had crossed his face, but what came out was, “I love you, too, Jude.”

Jude thought his smile might split his face. He shifted the bags he carried and Zero said, “Let’s put your stuff away.”

“Okay.”

Zero took the bag out of Jude’s hand and, their other hands still curled around each other, led Jude further into the apartment. Jude had been there before, but he liked having Zero’s hand wrapped around his, so he didn’t say anything as they headed for Zero’s bedroom. Zero sat on the bed and watched Jude hang his suits in the closet and pointed out empty drawers and shelves for the more casual clothes Jude had packed.

Zero followed Jude into the bathroom and watched as he unpacked toiletries. There was plenty of room on the large sink counter for two razors and cans of shaving cream and toothpaste, but it made Jude wonder if they needed two of everything. “What do you think about putting a double vanity in the master bath?”

“I haven’t thought much about it,” Zero said. “I only care that you’re there.”

Jude gave Zero a ‘you sap’ look, but Zero didn’t see it because his gaze wasn’t on Jude’s face. When his eyes did meet Jude’s again, the expression had changed. Jude was trying to match Zero’s patented ‘Really, Jude?’ look, but from the heat in his cheeks he thought he fell somewhere closer to ‘take me now’.

“You should get out of that suit,” Zero said. “Change into something more comfortable.”

“I suppose you’re going to offer to help,” Jude said.

“I do strive to be a good host,” Zero said, reaching for Jude’s tie and giving it a little tug.

“Well,” Jude said, “I wouldn’t want to get in the way of you being a good host.”

Jude’s laughter was a little breathless as Zero used Jude’s tie to draw him out of the master bath and back into the bedroom. Jude’s stomach fluttered, but it had nothing to do with his previous bout of nerves.

Zero undressed Jude slowly, and refused to let Jude help. By the time Zero’s fingers brushed bared flesh, Jude’s skin tingled at the touch. Zero placed Jude on the mattress and, still fully clothed, stood at the side of the bed and looked at him.

Jude groaned and covered his face with one hand, the other reaching blindly for Zero. He had a love-hate relationship with being the sole focus of Zero’s intent gaze. Instead of taking Jude’s hand, Zero traced his fingers up the inside of Jude’s thigh. Jude’s skin flushed with pleasure and his cock filled. Jude let his hand fall back to the mattress and his legs fell open, giving Zero better access to his body. His breaths came faster.

“Zero,” Jude said, pleaded. He let his hand fall off his face, though he knew looking into Zero’s eyes would burn him to the depths of his soul. He raised his other hand off the mattress again and extended it to Zero. “Gideon.”

Zero’s face did that thing it always did when Jude called him Gideon – like the expressions of pleasure and nonchalance were warring. He grasped Jude’s hand and let himself be drawn down onto the bed when Jude tugged.

Zero straddled Jude’s legs and crawled up his body until their lips could meet. Jude placed his hands on Zero’s hips and slid them up, fingers touching warm, bare skin as the t-shirt rode up. Jude pushed his hands up Zero’s back beneath the shirt, lost in the kiss and the feel of muscles flexing under his palms. The kiss deepened, and Zero’s hand moved from the side of Jude’s face to curl around his neck, and then began a slow slide down his chest.

Jude’s hips rose off the bed in a futile bid for friction. His fingers scrabbled at the hem of Zero’s t-shirt and pushed it up. Zero broke the kiss long enough to help Jude get the t-shirt off. The material had barely cleared Zero’s head when Jude slid his hands back down and pushed at the waistband of the lounge pants.

The elastic snagged on Zero’s cock before it got more than halfway down his hips. Jude slid his hands over the exposed ass cheeks and beneath the waistband to continue his exploration. He squeezed, and Zero made a sound in his ear.

“Come on, Gideon,” Jude whined.

Zero’s hand fumbled to release his cock and shove the pants down.

“Gideon,” Jude said again, breathing the name, and Zero shivered.

Zero kicked off the pants and claimed Jude’s lips, taking the next “Gideon” into his mouth. He gripped Jude’s hip and lowered his own hips until they could thrust against one another.

Jude made a sound that meant _finally_ and _god yes please_ , and pushed up, his cock sliding against Zero’s. There was almost too much friction without the easy glide of lube, but Jude didn’t want to stop even long enough to grab the tube. He let out a frustrated sound when Zero raised up, and then groaned when Zero spread slick over the length of him before curling his fingers around him.

“That’s . . . ,” Jude began, then broke off to push into the tight grip of Zero’s hand.

Zero’s grip loosened, and then he held them both in his fist, and Jude’s next thrust was along the length of Zero’s cock. Jude could barely stand to look into the blaze of Zero’s eyes, but he couldn’t look away. He drew Zero down into a kiss, licking into his mouth as Zero pumped them.

Jude’s muscles started jumping, as if he’d been hit with an electrical current, and the kiss became messy as Jude tried to keep it going despite his body having other ideas of where his attention should be focused. Finally they could merely breathe into each other’s mouths.

“You close?” Zero said, as if he couldn’t tell that Jude’s body was trembling under the waves of pleasure washing over him.

“No,” Jude said stubbornly.

Zero’s only reply was the swipe of his thumb and pressure right where Jude needed it. Jude cried out and clutched at Zero’s arm and back as his muscles locked up, trapping him in the painful pleasure of his climax. It seemed like forever before his senses returned to him in time to hear Zero’s soft grunt above him, to feel the additional warmth as Zero’s come spilled between them.

~*~

“What are you thinking about?” Zero said later, when they were sitting on the couch catching up on the games that were being played that night.

“I’m making a mental to-do list,” Jude said.

“Of course you are,” Zero said fondly. “For work?”

“For us,” Jude said. “Storage, and a moving truck, and a contractor . . .”

“I can help,” Zero said.

“I know,” Jude said. He slid his fingers through Zero’s and leaned more deeply into him.

Zero pressed a kiss to the soft spot behind Jude’s ear. “I know you’re anal about things, but you don’t have to do everything yourself.”

“You want to get the names of some contractors while I look into a place to store my furniture and a truck to move it?” Jude said.

“Yeah,” Zero said. “I’ll ask around. Some of the guys have been talking about renovations and additions. I’ll find out who they used and how they liked them.”

Jude sighed. “Yeah, okay. Thanks.”

Between his regular work and games and the proposal they were putting together, Jude looked at storage companies located between his apartment and the new house. He looked at the game schedule and rented a moving company for a day they’d both be in LA.

Zero’s money came in, and they both met with George Pullman and their attorneys to finalize the paperwork, and Jude officially became part-owner of the Devils. Lionel threw a party for Jude at the Playground which was smaller and more intimate than the public announcement, but still attended by the other owners.

Including Jelena, though Jude thought she came just to keep everyone guessing what she was up to. Oscar, on the other hand, was conspicuously absent, but Jude didn’t ask if it was because he hadn’t wanted to come, or because Lionel hadn’t invited him. Either way it meant nothing to Jude except for another confrontation he didn’t need to have.

Jude waited until Marcus left to ask Zero if he wanted to join him in the coat check room. Zero raised his eyebrows, but took Jude’s hand.

“Where are you two going?” Lionel said loudly.

Jude blushed.

“Jude needs to talk to me. Privately,” Zero said, and then he winked.

“Is that what they’re calling it these days?” Lionel said dryly.

“Have fun!” Susan said cheerily.

~*~

Jude was smiling while he waited for Zero to get home. The Devils had lost the game that night, but everything else had gone well for them today. Zero had not spent the morning before the game sleeping in, and had instead made the trip to Jude’s apartment to pack up the rest of his closet and dressers. He’d rented an Escalade to fit everything in. All Jude had to do now was organize his suits and unpack boxes into drawers that Zero hadn’t had to empty for him because even Zero didn’t have enough clothes to fill the master closet.

There’d been no party in the Playground after the game and Zero had given Jude a kiss and told him he’d meet him at home. “Your place,” Jude had reminded him, which earned him a small smile and, “Our place,” before Zero went off to the locker room.

Jude had dug out a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt and was going through the kitchen cupboards, wondering if he should pack up some of his large bowls and serving spoons to bring over, or whether it would be a waste of time because they’d be eating out most of the time, when he heard the front door open.

Jude’s exit from the kitchen surprised Zero and he didn’t have time to cover the worried expression he wore. Jude’s own smile fell when he saw Zero try anyway.

“What happened?” Jude said. “Jelena didn’t try to trade you again, did she?” he guessed, only half joking.

Zero gave a weak laugh. “No.”

“Did something happen with the house?” Jude guessed again when Zero didn’t immediately tell him what was wrong.

“No, Jude,” Zero said, dropping his bag and grasping Jude by the arms. “It’s about Laura.”

The bottom dropped out of Jude’s stomach. “Did something happen to Laura?”

“No, nothing . . . Jude,” Zero said. “I know I’m freaking you out, but would you give me a second to explain?”

“Yes, of course,” Jude said, and then had to bite his tongue to keep from saying anything else.

Zero put his arm around Jude’s shoulders and turned him towards the living room. “Do you remember that bottom-feeder reporter who saw us with Bilcheck?”

“Yes,” Jude said. “I was right there, I don’t know why he thought . . .” At the look on Zero’s face Jude’s words trailed off. He reached up and mimed zipping his lips.

Zero huffed a laugh. “I’ll believe that when I see it.” He didn’t wait for Jude to respond, but went on. “He came up to me again after the game tonight.”

Jude opened his mouth to ask what the reporter had wanted, then slammed it closed.

Zero didn’t seem to notice. “He asked some stupid questions about whether we’d had this whole thing planned from the beginning . . .”

“He’s giving us way too much credit,” Jude couldn’t resist saying.

Zero gave Jude a look of agreement, then said, “Which doesn’t matter, but he reminded me of Laura.”

“What about her?”

“What if Jelena finds out about her?” Zero said, and there was real concern in his voice.

Now that Jude knew what the problem was, he could go into problem-solving mode. He drew Zero the rest of the way to the couch and they sat down beside each other, so close their shoulders and legs were touching. Jude took Zero’s hand and squeezed it. “Jelena is not going to find out about Laura.”

“How can you be so sure?” Zero said.

“Because no one knows you even have a sister,” Jude said.

“But some people know that we met with a P.I. What if Jelena’s one of them? What if she digs it up, or is in the right place at the right time and overhears something?”

Even if she finds out about our meeting with Stafford, that doesn’t mean she’ll figure out what we saw him about. And even if she does, she won’t find Laura. There’s no record of her in the foster care system; Stafford had to use extraordinary means to find her.”

“What if Jelena just asks Bilcheck what he did for us?” Zero said.

Jude fell silent for a moment, not having considered that possibility. “Stafford has always been reliable, trustworthy, but I guess there’s always the chance he could be bought off. I wouldn’t have said so before, but there’s only a handful of people I’d trust when it comes to you.”

Zero gave Jude a relieved, pleased look, but it didn’t completely hide the worry he had for Laura.

“What do you want to do?” Jude said.

“You said that Jelena would hurt us by hurting the people we love,” Zero said. “What if she finds Laura and throws her to the wolves? Her life would be turned upside down.”

“You wanna get to her first? Give her a heads up?” Jude said.

Zero scrubbed his hands over his face. “I don’t know. I mean, I stayed away from her in the first place so she didn’t get dragged into all this.” He made a gesture encompassing the craziness of his entire life.

Jude had left his phone in the bedroom when he changed his clothes, and he went to get it now. “We’re in Boston next week,” Jude said when he pulled up the schedule. “You have an off-day before; we could fly out a day early.”

Zero looked overwhelmed now that Jude had laid out the option. Jude set aside the phone and touched Zero’s knee as he sat beside him. “Just think about it.”

Zero nodded.

“Did you shower after the game?”

Zero ran a hand through his hair and gave Jude a sheepish look as he shook his head.

“Come on,” Jude said. “I’ll wash your back.”

“I don’t know, Jude,” Zero said.

“You don’t have to do anything tonight,” Jude said gently.

“I know.”

“And we don’t have to do anything. Just let me take care of you.”

“I like taking care of you,” Zero said.

“I know. That’s why you have to let me take care of you sometimes,” Jude said.

“I just . . . I hate that the first time I see her after all these years would be to warn her that someone might try to hurt her because they know it’ll hurt me.”

“Yeah,” Jude said. “That sucks.”

Zero gave Jude a look that said, ‘ya think?’

“Come on,” Jude said. He held out his hand and waited for Zero to take it.

They were both quiet while they undressed, and Jude could tell that the thought of Jelena finding out about Laura and exposing her to the media was weighing heavily on Zero’s mind. For one thing, he was way too compliant when Jude put him under the spray and began to soap up his shoulders.

Zero mechanically washed his hair and face and didn’t react when Jude slid soapy hands over his ass. Zero turned around and even though they were doing nothing sexual Jude would’ve had to be dead to keep his gaze from dropping to where Zero’s soapy hands ran over his chest and down his stomach.

“You want me to let you finish up alone?” Jude said.

“No,” Zero said quickly. “I like having you here,” he added casually, as if he wasn’t saying anything of any importance.

“I like being here,” Jude said.

“Shame, though,” Zero said, giving Jude a weak version of his usual smirk. “First time we’re together in this nice big shower and you’re only going to wash my back.”

Jude held up both hands, which were still covered in soap. “Something else you need help with?”

Zero reached out and circled his fingers around Jude’s wrist. Jude didn’t resist when Zero lowered Jude’s hand and placed it against his soft cock. Zero wasn’t in the mood, but Jude could tell that he wanted to be, wanted to be coaxed out of his dark thoughts.

Jude gently soaped Zero’s cock and balls when Zero released his wrist. Zero’s cock gave a twitch of interest, but nothing more.

“I love you,” Jude said.

Zero gave a disgusted look at himself.

“I love you because you’re the kind of man who worries about a sister he hasn’t seen since they were children,” Jude went on.

“It would be my fault if Jelena goes after her,” Zero said.

“It would be Jelena’s fault,” Jude softly corrected.

“Because of me,” Zero insisted.

“Because of whatever drives her,” Jude said.

Zero shook his head. “I don’t deserve you.”

“I think we deserve each other,” Jude said. “I’ve got broken edges, too,” he went on when Zero didn’t look convinced. “You only have to look at my relationship with Oscar to know that.”

“Oscar’s an ass,” Zero said reflexively.

Jude huffed a laugh. “My point,” he said, “is that your broken edges fit my broken edges.” He released Zero to demonstrate with the spread fingers of both hands.

“This isn’t one of those Tab A, Slot B metaphors, is it?”

Jude’s laugh was more real this time. “No.” He slapped Zero’s arm.

The smirk fell off Zero’s face. “I don’t want my broken edges to cut you.”

“Your broken edges made you the man you are today,” Jude said. “They’re why I love you.”

Zero made another attempt at his usual smirk. “From the way you moan and beg for more when I’m fucking you, I thought you loved me for the size of my cock.”

Jude gave Zero a ‘butter wouldn’t melt’ look. “I love you for a lot of reasons.”

Zero smiled. “I love you, too, Jude.”

Jude touched the side of Zero’s face. “I know, stupid.”

Zero looked surprised, then he chuckled. He leaned in and kissed Jude, a quick peck followed by another, and then one that wasn’t so quick. When they broke apart they were both breathing hard and rutting against one another, Zero’s cock finally filling.

“Jude,” Zero said, voice sounding as wrecked as he looked.

“Anything,” Jude said.

Zero spun Jude around and pushed him up against the tile. “I want to fuck you,” He said, rubbing his cock against Jude’s ass. “Just like this.” Zero slapped Jude’s cheek.

Jude swallowed a moan. “Yes, okay.”

Zero reached for something to use as lube and Jude looked to see what he found. Jude laughed when Zero popped open a tube of lube.

“I thought you weren’t a Boy Scout,” Jude said.

“I wasn’t, but . . .”

“Oh god,” Jude groaned, “not that awful joke about Brownies, please.”

“I was going to say,” Zero said, a slick finger slipping between Jude’s cheeks and rubbing over his hole. “That I did what any sensible guy would do when his boyfriend moves in.”

Jude shivered, momentarily distracted from the finger sliding inside him by the term. Zero didn’t often call them boyfriends, and Jude cherished each instance.

Zero touched that spot inside Jude, eliciting a soft moan. Jude pressed his face against the tile and dug his fingers into the grooves as Zero opened him with two fingers, then three.

“You ready for me, babe?” Zero said, voice raspy and deep.

“Yes,” Jude gasped. It felt like he’d been ready for _ages_. He groaned at the emptiness when Zero withdrew his fingers, even though he knew he’d soon be filled with Zero’s cock.

Jude closed his eyes as Zero squeezed out more lube and spread it over himself. His breath caught when Zero’s knuckles brushed the inside of his cheek as he guided his cock to Jude’s hole. He forced his muscles to relax when Zero pressed in.

“You were right,” Jude gasped when Zero was as far inside Jude as he could be.

“I know,” Zero said, just as breathless. “About what?”

Jude groaned a laugh. “I do love you for your cock.”

Zero laughed, and it vibrated through Jude. “And I love you for your ass. Your perfect, perfect ass.” Zero punctuated his words by squeezing Jude’s ass cheeks, and then sliding both hands to his hips.

Zero dropped his head and let his forehead rest against the back of Jude’s neck. He sighed as he slowly pulled out of Jude, and then pushed back in. “I love this.”

“Fucking me,” Jude said, “or watching yourself fuck me?”

“Both,” Zero said. “You feel amazing.” Zero slid one hand off Jude’s hip and curled his fingers around Jude’s cock.

Jude groaned and tipped his head back, the back of his head resting against the top of Zero’s. Zero set up a rhythm of thrusting into Jude and pulling on his cock. Jude tried to hold still, to just let Zero fuck him, but he couldn’t. He pushed back to meet each thrust, taking Zero as deep as he could, and then pushed forward into the amazing friction of Zero’s hand.

With the double stimulation, Jude expected to be the first to come, but Zero’s hand lost its rhythm and his hips stuttered before coming to a stop as he swelled and pulsed inside Jude. Jude had read that it was physically impossible, but when they barebacked, he always imagined he could feel the sensation of Zero’s release filling him, and it was that which sent Jude hurtling towards climax, his own come painting stripes across the tile before Zero’s cock finished pulsing inside him.

Zero’s weight was heavy on Jude’s back, pressing him into the tile, but he didn’t feel smooshed; he felt warm, and safe, and loved. When Zero finally moved, slowly raising himself off Jude’s back and withdrawing from him, Jude felt cold and empty. Zero braced one hand on the tile and used the other to bring water to Jude’s ass and wash away the come and lube dripping from his hole and down the inside of his thighs.

When they’d gotten cleaned up and stepped out of the shower, they reached for a towel and each tried to wrap the other up in it. They both laughed at their weird need to take care of each other, and dried themselves. Jude cheated and squeezed water out of the longer strands of Zero’s hair when Zero merely gave his head a cursory swipe with the towel, and then stepped back, laughing as he dried his own hair.

Zero had a long reach, though, and Jude didn’t escape the snap of his towel completely. He left Zero in front of the mirror to pretty himself up and pulled on the sweat pants and t-shirt he’d taken off to join Zero in the shower. He returned to the closet and rearranged the drawers while he waited for Zero to emerge from the bathroom.

“We don’t need a closet this big, do we?” Jude said when he sensed Zero. He glanced up to see him leaning against the doorframe watching Jude with a possessive gleam in his eyes.

“No,” Zero said. “But I want a big bathroom.”

“This one’s kind of excessive, though,” Jude said. “It’s bigger than my bedroom.”

“The tub is bigger than your entire bathroom,” Zero said.

Jude laughed. “True.”

“And I didn’t hear you complaining when we both managed to fit in it. Or a few minutes ago.”

Jude flushed at the memories. ”Fine, large tub and large shower, but we’re not putting them in a room large enough to host a party.”

“Agreed,” Zero said.

Jude felt a flush of pleasure at talking about the house they were going to renovate together, and would one day share. “What else do you want?”

Zero shrugged. “I don’t know. I never really thought about it. You’re the most important part.”

Jude dropped the pile of t-shirts he was carefully sliding into a drawer so he could go over to Zero, touch his face, and give him a kiss. “You’re the most important part for me, too.”

~*~

The next day Jude set up a meeting with Stafford Bilcheck away from the Arena. He didn’t tell Zero about it until they ran into each other at Jude’s return. Zero was with some of the other players, so Jude gave him what he hoped was a subtle signal, and then waited for Zero to get away to meet Jude in his office.

“What’s up?” Zero said moments later.

“Two things,” Jude said. He dumped the magazines he’d picked up while he was out into Zero’s arms. “Turns out there are a lot of magazines about renovation and design.”

“What am I supposed to do with these?”

“We’re going to look at them,” Jude said. “See if we can figure out what our ‘style’ is.”

Zero tried, unsuccessfully, to bite back a grin.

“Shut up,” Jude said, and Zero stopped trying altogether.

“Full steam ahead?” Zero said.

Jude paused. “Didn’t you want to . . . ?”

“No. Yes!” Zero said. “It’s just . . . I like when you get excited about something. It’s hot.”

“I hope you still think so when I tell you the second thing,” Jude said. He went on before Zero could respond. “I had a meeting about Stafford. About the other jobs I gave him. While I was with him I told him that there might be some people showing interest in the work he’d done for us in the past. He said he’d only been approached by a smarmy reporter, and that he hadn’t told him anything, didn’t even confirm that I, that we, were clients of his.” Jude gave Zero a moment to digest that. “For what it’s worth, I believe him.”

“So we’re safe,” Zero said.

“Fairly safe,” Jude said. “If Jelena finds out, it won’t be through Stafford Bilcheck. I’m pretty certain.”

Zero nodded.

“You don’t need to decide now, and if you decide to leave things the way they are for the time being, you can always change your mind later, it won’t be set in stone.”

Zero said, “Yeah,” but Jude wasn’t sure he’d heard him.

Jude hesitated, then said, “There’s something else.”

For a moment Zero looked like he couldn’t take anything else, but then he just looked determined. “What is it?”

Jude took a folder out of his briefcase and held it out to Zero. Zero hesitated, and then took it. Jude moved closer as Zero opened the folder and flipped through the file. Jude knew when Zero reached the information Jude had wanted him to see; Zero paused, a frown furrowing his brow.

“What’s this?”

“I gave Jelena’s name to Stafford,” Jude said. “This is one of the things he found.”

“How do we use it?” Zero said, his voice a monotone.

“Even if we could, I don’t know if we _should_ ,” Jude said. Zero gave him an incredulous look. “You kept me from doing something horrible with George Pullman.”

“That was different,” Zero said. “This is . . . this is Jelena we’re talking about.”

“Yes,” Jude agreed. “But we should think carefully before we use this information.”

Zero’s lips tightened, but he nodded his agreement as he handed the folder back to Jude. “It explains why my plan of using Jelena to rule this town went so horribly wrong,” he said.

Jude ignored the little stab of jealousy at the reminder, and said, “What do you mean?”

“I tried to control everything, and at the end I panicked, tried to force things. She fought back every step of the way and I couldn’t figure out why.”

“Yeah,” Jude said dryly, trying to lighten the mood. “Because who wouldn’t want a piece of this?” Jude gestured towards Zero.

“You did,” Zero said smugly. “Practically threw yourself at me.”

“Yeah,” Jude said, “I did.” He leaned in for a kiss that Zero happily returned.

When they separated, Zero returned to the topic of Jelena. “She was never going to let anyone, especially a man, have any control over her. Which means we need to be extra careful now.”

“Why?”

Zero gave Jude a surprised look. “Because she was going to have the ultimate control. Over all of us. And you took that away from her. She won’t forget that.”

Just when Jude thought they might be making headway.

~*~

Jude was quiet that night at the Playground. Lionel noticed, but Jude just said, “I’m worried about why Jelena wants to help with the proposal we’re putting together.”

“I would be, too,” Susan said, which didn’t make Jude feel any better.

Jude’s sour mood wasn’t helped by Oscar making an appearance, though Jude managed to keep his distance, or by the serious look Zero gave Jude when he entered the Arena with the other owners. Jude missed the smirk, the leer, the way Zero made sure Jude knew he was thinking about getting him naked, even though it got him flushed and flustered.

Jude stopped to wish Pete luck, as had become his habit. Zero didn’t make a show of tearing off his warm up pants and tossing them near Jude. It was silly for Jude to feel hurt by that. He lowered his head and excused himself.

“Wait,” Pete said wryly.

When Jude raised his head, Zero was striding determinedly over to Jude. They both ignored someone’s (Curtis) wolf whistle, though Jude’s stomach flipped at the intent expression on Zero’s face.

Without a word, Zero kissed Jude. Jude, caught by surprise, didn’t know what to do with his hands at first, and then they landed on Zero’s shoulders. It wasn’t a quick peck, and by the time Zero pulled back Jude was having trouble breathing.

Zero touched his forehead to Jude’s. “I needed that.”

Jude smiled for the first time since Zero had left his office. “Me, too.”

Jude had been worried that Zero’s performance during the game would be affected by his concern over Laura and Jelena, and it was. Zero managed to channel his frustrations into the game and take them all out on the other team. It wasn’t his highest scoring game, but he had more steals and assists than usual, as well as more fouls, which luckily didn’t hurt them too much. At least half of his passes went to Derek, and at the end of the game Derek was looking at Zero suspiciously.

Zero didn’t even wait for the pats on the back from his teammates before heading for Jude. Jude was ready for the kiss this time, and he knew where to place his hands. Jude left his hands on Zero’s face when they broke the kiss. “Great game.”

“Thanks,” Zero said. He gave Jude a serious look. “I want to talk to Marcus about flying to Boston early.”

“Okay,” Jude said. He didn’t know why Zero had made the decision, or whether he’d change his mind between now and then, but it felt good to have one thing settled and to be able to set a course of action.

~*~

Jude wasn’t lucky enough to be able to evade Oscar after the game. He was alone at the bar when Oscar approached. “Marcus is doing a good job running the team,” Oscar said.

Jude couldn’t tell from Oscar’s tone what he was getting at, so he just said, “Yes.”

“Zero’s been performing above average, as well.”

“What do you want, Oscar?” Jude said.

“Can’t I just make small talk with my son?”

“You don’t do small talk, and, as I recall, you don’t have a son.”

“Maybe I’d like to change that,” Oscar said.

“Why?” Jude figured he knew why – Oscar wanted to find a way to get his shares back without dragging the team through the mud and bringing the option of a forced sale back into play – but he wasn’t going to put words in Oscar’s mouth, or make it easy for him.

“I might’ve been too hasty when I said you were more like your mother than like me.”

“Maybe,” Jude said, though he hated being compared to Oscar with every fiber of his being. “In which case, you shouldn’t make that mistake again.”

Jude pushed away from the bar and walked blindly away from Oscar with no idea where he was going. Zero caught his arms and Jude was grateful to step into him and let Zero take his weight.

“What happened?” Zero said, his gaze following Jude’s path back to the bar.

“Nothing,” Jude said, shaking his head. “Oscar just trying to get under my skin.”

“Did it work?” Zero said, still sounding worried.

“It always works,” Jude said, disgusted with himself. “Come on, let’s go talk to Marcus.”

Marcus saw them coming and correctly interpreted their intent to speak with him. He excused himself from the conversation he was having with a man who looked like Willie Nelson from the back, but Jude was pretty sure wasn’t. “What’s Oscar up to?” Marcus said when the three of them were within range.

“I never know what Oscar’s up to,” Jude said. “That’s not what we wanted to talk to you about.”

Marcus looked intrigued. “Okay. What did you want?”

Jude looked at Zero, who took the cue. “It’s personal. Do you have five minutes?”

Marcus studied Zero, then glanced at Jude before saying. “Of course. My office?”

“That would be great,” Zero said, adding, “Thanks.”

Marcus led the way out of the Playground, and they followed him. Lionel caught Jude’s eye and she gave him a questioning look, but Jude merely gave her a nod so she knew that nothing bad had happened.

“Lionel’s going to ask questions,” Jude said quietly to Zero as they waited for the elevator with Marcus.

“You can tell her after,” Zero said.

Jude knew Zero didn’t mean after the meeting with Marcus. He squeezed Zero’s hand.

They made small talk about the game until they reached Marcus’ office. Marcus waited until they were inside before closing the door behind them. “I noticed you made a lot of passes to Derek.”

Zero gave Marcus a considering look, then said, “Reverse psychology.” When Marcus raised an eyebrow in question, Zero gave a self-deprecating shrug. “Derek hates Jelena, but he doesn’t have any love for Jude and me, either. I’m gonna give him a reason to choose us, should it come down to that.” He looked at Jude. “You told me to cultivate allies.”

“I didn’t think you’d go for the toughest nut to crack,” Jude said.

“Go big or go home,” Zero said, as if it was no big deal. “Besides, it’ll make taking team captain away from him next season so much sweeter.”

“There’s the Zero I know and love,” Jude said, earning him a smile and a kiss.

“Sorry to put a halt to your sweet nothings,” Marcus said wryly, “but I need to get back before my wife thinks I’ve left with another model.”

Zero nodded. “Next week when we play Boston, I’d like to fly out a day early. Me and Jude.”

Marcus looked curious, but didn’t ask. “You need the jet?”

“No. I mean, yes, but no. I can hire a jet if I need to. I need permission to fly out before the team,” Zero said.

Marcus looked like he was thinking. “If the whole team flew out a day early it would raise fewer questions.”

“But what about . . . ?” Zero began.

“And I could send Jude with the players to take care of team business.” He looked at Jude. “I’ll think of something.”

“I . . . thank you,” Zero said.

“You’re welcome,” Marcus said. “This thing, the personal reason you need to go to Boston, it’s not going to come back to bite us all on the ass, is it?”

“No,” Zero said. “No, I . . .” Zero paused and swallowed hard. “I have a sister.”

No one looked more surprised than Zero at the admission, but Marcus came close. “I didn’t know you had a sister.”

“Not many people do,” Zero said, squeezing Jude’s hand when Jude twined their fingers together. “We got separated in foster care; I haven’t seen her in over fifteen years.”

“Jesus,” Marcus said. “Zero, I’m sorry.”

Zero tried to wave away Marcus’ sympathy, but his face wasn’t doing what he wanted it to. “I used Jude’s P.I. to find her, but then I had second thoughts about contacting her. She’s got a nice life, and this . . .” He indicated the Arena, and the larger mess they were involved in. “But now I’m afraid Jelena might find her.”

“And you want to get to her first,” Marcus said.

Zero gave a short nod.

“I’ll talk to Pete. Jude?”

“I’ll change the flight and hotel rooms,” Jude said.

“Good,” Marcus said. “If we’re done here?”

“We are,” Jude said when Zero didn’t.

“I’ll get back to the Playground then. You two can stay here as long as you need.”

Jude waited until they were alone. “Zero?”

Zero scrubbed his free hand over his face. “We’re really gonna do this,” he said. “Jesus.”

“Congratulations,” Jude said. “It’s a bouncing baby girl.”

“She’s a senior in college,” Zero corrected, but he still looked a little gobsmacked.

~*~

Jude grabbed the dorm door before it closed and let himself in.

“Can I help you?” the student sitting at the reception desk said, looking Jude over and trying to decide if he was going to cause a problem.

Jude gave the student Laura’s name, and his own, and waited while she was contacted. The student replaced the receiver. “She’ll be down shortly.”

“Thank you,” Jude said, then stepped back to wait beside the door. The wait seemed interminable for Jude, and he knew that it was probably worse for Zero, who was stretching under a tree on the front lawn of the neighboring dorm. They’d talked about little else since Zero made the decision to contact Laura; he’d asked Jude to approach Laura and play intermediary in case she didn’t want to meet him.

They’d left the hotel early that morning for a jog that took them past the Boston University campus. Zero had memorized the campus layout, so it only took them a short time to find Laura’s dorm. Since she didn’t have a class until 10am this morning, Jude was pretty sure they’d find her there at this hour.

Jude raised his eyes when the door to the stairwell opened. A young woman with light brown hair approached. She glanced at the reception desk, and then at Jude when he was pointed out to her. “You wanted to see me?” Laura said, head tilted suspiciously.

“Yes,” Jude said. “Is there a place we could talk more privately?”

“About what?” Laura said, her suspicions not allayed by Jude’s approach.

“Your brother,” Jude said baldly.

Laura froze for a fraction of a second, then recovered and said, “I don’t have a brother.”

The words, mirroring Oscar’s so closely, hit Jude like a splash of cold water. “I know you haven’t seen him in a long time,” Jude began.

“Because he’s dead,” Laura said.

“What?” Jude said, taken by surprise. “No, he’s not.”

Laura turned to walk away, and Jude panicked. “Gideon!” he said. “Is his name,” he added lamely when Laura halted. “And I can assure you, he’s not dead.”

Laura studied Jude more closely. “Who are you, again?”

Jude blushed. “My name is Jude Kinkade.”

“And why are you here instead of my brother?” Laura said, but her voice shook a little bit on the last word.

“Because he didn’t want to force you to meet with him if you didn’t want to,” Jude said.

“Why now?” Laura said.

“It’s a long story.”

Laura gave him a look.

“We . . . he hired a private investigator to find you,” Jude said. “But he realized that you had a nice life, he didn’t want to disrupt it.”

“What’s changed?”

“Ahh,” Jude said. “There is . . . someone . . . who might try to find you, throw you to the reporters in order to hurt him. He wanted to warn you.”

“Is he a criminal, or something?” Laura said.

“What? No, he . . . no.”

“I don’t know,” Laura said.

“That’s fine,” Jude said hurriedly. “He didn’t want to pressure you. Let me give you my card in case you change your mind.” Jude fished out the card that had both his and Zero’s phone numbers on it.

“Can you tell me,” Jude said as Laura reluctantly took the card from his fingers. “Why did you think he was dead?”

“Because they told me he was,” Laura said. “When they separated us. And he never came for me, like he promised he would.”

Jude’s first thought was that he could never tell Zero that, and then that he had no choice but to tell him. “I’m sorry,” Jude said. “But in Gideon’s defense, he was only five years old when your parents left the two of you, and seven when you were separated.”

“I know that,” Laura said, as if Jude was an idiot.

“And he’s here now.”

Laura waved the card. “I’ll think about it.”

“Laura!” Jude said desperately. “There’s a basketball game tonight at the Garden. I’ll leave four tickets for you at the box office. If you change your mind and want to see him before we leave town.”

“I said I’d think about it,” Laura said.

Jude nodded. “You have his eyes.”

Laura froze, fear and hope on her face. Jude could’ve pushed, but he was afraid to. “Thank you for your time,” he said.

Jude took a deep breath when he stepped out of the dorm, and then began the too-short walk back to where Zero waited. Zero’s shoulders slumped when he saw the disappointed slope of Jude’s, and noted the fact that he was returning alone.

“She didn’t want to see me,” Zero said, his voice too even.

“It’s more complicated than that,” Jude said. “We knew this would come as a shock to her, but . . .”

“What is it, Jude?”

Jude curled his fingers around Zero’s arm. “She thought you were dead,” he said as gently as he could.

“She . . . what?”

“That’s what they told her when they separated you. And she believed them because . . .”

“Because why?” Zero demanded.

Jude swallowed hard. “Because you didn’t come for her.”

Zero made a sound like a dying animal.

“You were seven years old when they took Laura away,” Jude said, gripping both of Zero’s arms. “You were a _child_.”

Zero dropped his forehead onto Jude’s shoulder. “I should’ve tried to find her sooner.”

“You had to find yourself first.”

Zero raised his head and gave Jude a look. “Philosophy, Jude?” he said, but it was weak.

“I gave her my card,” Jude said. “And told her about the tickets.”

Zero nodded. “Okay. What did she look like?”

“You saw her photos,” Jude teased.

“Yeah, but . . .”

“She has your eyes,” Jude said.

Zero opened his mouth to respond when a voice behind him said, “Is that him?”

Both Jude and Zero froze. Jude moved his eyes slowly until he saw Laura standing there over Zero’s shoulder. “Laura.”

“Is that Gideon?”

Zero looked like he was facing his worst fear. He pulled himself up straight and turned around to face Laura.

“Laura,” Jude said, “this is Gideon; Gideon, Laura.”

Zero and Laura stared at each other. Laura crossed her arms and aimed a critical look at Zero’s hair under the hoodie. “I don’t remember the blond.”

Zero raised a hand and ran it through his hair, pushing off the hood in the process.

“He bleaches it,” Jude said in a loud whisper. “He thinks it makes him look cool.”

Zero reached back to swat Jude, then grabbed his hand and held on tight. Laura’s gaze followed the movement. She gestured between them. “You two . . . ?”

Jude tried not to wince when Zero squeezed his hand even tighter. “You got a problem with that?”

Laura gave Zero a slightly amused look. “No.” She indicated the hoodie Zero had been using to hide his face. “You in hiding, or something?”

“Just didn’t want to be followed,” Zero said.

Laura tilted her head towards Jude. “He mentioned reporters; you supposed to be famous?”

Jude snorted, and Zero gave him an annoyed look. “A little bit,” Zero said dryly.

Laura didn’t look convinced. “A rock star?”

“Seriously?” Zero said, while Jude bit back another sound.

Laura shrugged. “I don’t know anything about you,” she said, and the words had a sharp edge.

“Do you want to?” Zero said.

Laura was quiet too long. “I don’t know,” she finally said. “Jude,” she said, proving she did remember his name, “said you’d disrupt my ‘nice life’.”

Zero gave Laura wry look. “Yeah. A little bit.”

“I’ll think about it,” Laura said. She held up the card Jude had given her. “I know how to reach you.”

Jude and Zero stood together and watched Laura walk away. They didn’t move until Laura had disappeared from view inside the dorm, and then Jude tugged on Zero’s arm and they turned around to begin the walk back to the hotel.

Zero let out an explosive breath. “Jesus. She looked good,” he said as if Jude was going to disagree.

“Yeah,” Jude said.

“You told her about Jelena, right?”

“Not in any detail, but yeah,” Jude said.

“She’s still not gonna be prepared,” Zero said.

“We’ll keep an eye on her,” Jude promised.

“Stalker,” Zero said, but he squeezed Jude’s hand in thanks.

Zero grabbed Jude up and spun him around, and Jude gave a startled, delighted laugh. He wrapped his arms around Zero’s neck and kissed him. He loved seeing Zero this happy.

“If we hurry back to the hotel we’ll have time for me to rock your world before your meeting,” Zero said as he set Jude back on his feet.

“You already rock my world,” Jude said, and then he took off running. “Race you!”

Behind Jude, Zero laughed, and then Jude heard the slap of Zero’s sneakers as he took off after him. A frisson of anticipation slid down Jude’s spine as he put on a burst of speed and waited for Zero to catch him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this continuation of 'in this together'. I do have plans to write a third installment, though I don't know when it will get done, so keep an eye out for it.

**Author's Note:**

> For writing updates and Zude reblogs, follow me on Tumblr, where I’m [Spikedluv](http://spikedluv.tumblr.com/). Additionally, I’ve created a Zude-specific community on DW: [Team Zude](http://team-zude.dreamwidth.org/).


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